Patients' Perspectives On Clinical Clerkship Students: A Single-center Qualitative Study in Osaka, Japan

Clinical clerkship students (CCSs) play a central role in hands-on medical education. While previous research has focused on student outcomes, patients' perspectives remain underexplored-particularly in hierarchical, non-Western healthcare systems.

This qualitative, single-center study conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 inpatients at a university hospital in Osaka, Japan (≥ 7 days of hospitalization, aged ≥ 20 years). Each participant was interviewed twice-before and after CCS involvement. Ethical approval (ID: 2021-001) and written informed consent were obtained. Transcripts were analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA), a structured interpretive method that captures evolving social processes.

Patients' perceptions evolved through direct interaction with CCSs. Initially, they expressed concerns about students' inexperience alongside hope for their growth. After engagement, patients appreciated students' sincerity, empathy, and communication skills. Notably, CCSs were seen as emotional supporters and intermediaries between patients and physicians. This emotional role, heightened during the COVID-19-era visitation restrictions, aligns with the hidden curriculum and reveals a tacit but valuable educational dynamic.

CCSs contribute not only as learners but also as communicative and emotional agents in patient care. These findings clarify how patients perceive the implicit educational value of CCSs and illustrate how learners co-construct knowledge through authentic interactions, consistent with constructivist learning theory. Medical education programs should incorporate patient feedback, acknowledge the emotional labor of CCSs, and develop curricula that foster participatory, patient-centered learning environments.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-026-02701-y.