A framework to promote equity in clinical clerkships

Diversifying the medical student body without striving for equity in the clerkship (first full-time clinical training year) learning environment disadvantages under-represented in medicine (UIM) students and undermines the educational process.

To characterise and address inequities within an internal medicine clerkship, we conducted a multi-phased process to promote equity in the clerkship learning environment at an urban medical school with multiple sites. … we conducted a multi-phased process to promote equity in the clerkship learning environment … INNOVATION: The process to improve the learning environment and equity in the clerkship included: (i) a literature review and needs assessment (focus group) with UIM students; (ii) a medicine clerkship retreat with school leaders and diversity experts to reflect on the needs assessment data and generate interventions to improve equity; (iii) a member checking session with UIM students to ensure that the proposed solutions addressed the inequities that were noted in the needs assessment.

The needs assessment revealed eight themes in the clerkship learning environment that were mapped to a published framework describing barriers encountered by UIM students. These themes informed the development of five clerkship pilot interventions. Implementing interventions inspired by UIM student perspectives may improve the learning environment in clinical clerkships by encouraging a culture of equity. The three-phased approach described here provides leaders who direct educational programmes with a framework to initiate change by characterising inequities as a springboard for developing solutions.