Development of competence in clerkship

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Clerkships

Background:

• Assessing student educational experiences is crucial for improving clerkship programs.
• Understanding factors influencing medical trainee confidence is key to effective clinical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze medical students' perceptions of their educational experiences during Surgery and Medicine rotations.
• To correlate specific educational components with students' confidence in their clinical competence.

Main Methods:

• Survey analysis of medical students' perceptions during clerkship rotations.
• Correlation and regression analyses to assess relationships between educational components and student confidence.

Main Results:

• Overall student confidence was similar between Medicine and Surgery rotations.
• Significant differences in perceived competence by sex were observed (females higher in Medicine, males higher in Surgery).
• Quality of staff interaction and supervision appropriateness strongly predicted competence in Surgery, but not Medicine.

Conclusions:

• Educational components significantly impact medical student confidence, with varying importance between rotations.
• Supervision quality and staff interaction are critical for developing surgical competence.
• Further research needed to optimize educational strategies for diverse clerkship experiences.