[Medical intern or locum doctor--does job position affect learning?]

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Assessment

Context:

• The licentiate degree in medicine at the University of Helsinki includes internships.
• Internship roles include medical intern and locum doctor positions.
• Feedback forms are used to assess student development.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the impact of different internship roles on medical student development.
• To compare self-reported skill improvement between medical interns and locum doctors.

Summary:

• Medical students who worked as locum doctors reported enhanced diagnostic skills, medical record keeping, patient interaction, and workplace integration.
• These self-assessments were based on feedback forms collected from 2008 to 2013.
• Supervisor evaluations did not show a clear distinction in improvement between the two roles.

Impact:

• Highlights the potential benefits of locum doctor roles for practical skill acquisition in medical training.
• Suggests a discrepancy between student self-perception and supervisor assessment of internship effectiveness.
• Informs curriculum development and internship placement strategies in medical education.