Child psychiatry: what are we teaching medical students?

The author describes child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) undergraduate teaching in American and Canadian medical schools.

A survey asking for information on CAP teaching, student interest in CAP, and opinions about the CAP importance was sent to the medical student psychiatry director at 142 accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada. The results were summarized and various factors considered relevant to CAP student interest were analyzed statistically.

Approximately 81% of the schools returned surveys. Most teach required CAP didactics in the preclinical and clinical years. Almost 63% of the schools have CAP clinical rotations; most are not required. Twenty-three percent of all medical students have a clinical CAP experience during their psychiatry clerkship. The majority of schools have CAP electives, and approximately 4.8% of students participate. Child and adolescent psychiatry leadership, early exposure to CAP, and CAP clinical experiences were related to student CAP interest, but these relationships were not statistically significant.

The time allotted to teaching CAP in the undergraduate medical curriculum is minimal, consistent with previous survey results. Most schools require didactic instruction averaging about 12 hours and offer elective clinical opportunities. The survey findings should help direct future planning to improve CAP medical student education.