Evaluation of pediatric community field trips

A field trip program for junior medical students on a pediatric clinical clerkship acquainted students with the care of normal and handicapped children in community settings of school, day care center, residential treatment, or diagnostic facilities.A program evaluation by pre and post-trip survey demonstrated a positive change in students' knowledge and attitude in general, which was unaffected by such factors as sex, previous experience in a medical setting, and previous experience with handicapped children.As an integral part of the pediatric clerkship, the field trip appears to have been a positive experience for students, as it met their educational and emotional needs. Subjective evaluation indicated that many students formed insightful and compassionate judgments about handicapped children.Although the increase in knowledge and sensitivity of the students, as reflected in the pre-and post-test, was not statistically significant, the benefit to the students, to the personnel of the agencies, and ultimately to the children and families with whom they dealt during their professional careers was important.