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Effect of curriculum change on exam performance in a 4-week psychiatry clerkship
Julie Niedermier1, David Way, David Kasick
1Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1670 Upham Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USA. julie.niedermier@osumc.edu
Objective:
The authors investigated whether curriculum change could produce improved performance, despite a reduction in clerkship length from 8 to 4 weeks.
Methods:
The exam performance of medical students completing a 4-week clerkship in psychiatry was compared to national data from the National Board of Medical Examiners' Psychiatry Subject Examination and the United States Medical Licensure Examination Step 2 CK psychiatry and mental disorders subtests.
Results:
Curriculum change and restructuring to a 4-week psychiatry clerkship resulted in above-average and sustained improvement on nationally standardized assessment measures.
Conclusion:
Examination performance can be optimized despite a 50% reduction in the duration of a psychiatry clerkship.
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