Inter-site consistency at a multi-site psychiatry clerkship

This study examines the effects of clinical site assignment within a multiple-site psychiatry clerkship program on the convergent outcome of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) subject examination.

NBME scores, controlled for baseline pre-clerkship knowledge base as measured by second year human behavior scores, were compared for inpatient and outpatient clinical clerkship sites.

No effect of clinical site assignment on NBME scores was demonstrated, suggesting that inter-site consistency occurred for the performance outcomes measured.

Similar assessments can help other clerkship directors monitor clinical sites for quality of their educational programs, which is increasingly important as medical schools expand their clinical sites to community-based programs.