Content of a preceptorship experience: effects of location, gender, and specialty choice

Ambulatory care experiences for 37 medical students during six consecutive three-week preceptorships in family practice were assessed using student logbooks and end-of-preceptorship feedback forms. Comparisons were made by site of preceptorship (university or nonuniversity), by gender of medical student, and by the students' subsequent specialty choices. Rank orders of diagnoses using a Spearman's rho comparison of ranks were significantly correlated with national data as were most student-to-group comparisons. Students tended to see more patients of their own age group, and female students tended to see more female patients of child bearing age. Students with preceptors in the university setting saw patients who were older than those patients seen by students in nonuniversity preceptorship settings. Students in the university setting also saw fewer patients and performed fewer procedures during the three week preceptorship but had a higher level of participation in patient care. Females reported a lower level of participation in patient care than male students, and students who subsequently went into family practice residencies reported a higher level of participation than those students who entered other specialties.