Medical Student Summer Externship Program: Increasing the Number Matching in Family Practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Primary Care Physician Training
• Family Medicine

Background:

• Declining interest in family medicine among US medical graduates (13.4% in 1999 to 10.5% in 2002).
• Need for programs to enhance student exposure to family medicine beyond standard clerkships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the development and longitudinal achievements of a clinical summer externship program.
• To determine the percentage of participants who match into family medicine residencies.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of a family medicine summer externship program (1993-1999).
• Involved 115 participants; data collected on program description, practice settings, student experiences, and department commitment.

Main Results:

• 43.4% (49 out of 115) of participants matched into family medicine residencies.
• Program participants reported a highly favorable experience (mean score of 5.82 out of 6).

Conclusions:

• The Ohio State University Department of Family Medicine's Medical Student Summer Externship Program is an effective educational initiative.
• The program demonstrated success in increasing or maintaining the proportion of students entering family medicine.