Using media in rural clerkships.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Training
• Instructional Media Development

Background:

• Rural clerkships are crucial for health professions students.
• Enhancing educational value in off-campus settings presents challenges.
• Biomedical Communications Division sought to improve rural training resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore methods for delivering instructional media to rural clerkship sites.
• To identify effective strategies for utilizing educational media in off-campus training.
• To improve the educational experience for health professions students during rural rotations.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed rural faculty and hospitals to identify relevant educational topics.
• Previewed, evaluated, and purchased videocassettes and slide-tape packages.
• Stored media at the central Biomedical Communications facility.

Main Results:

• Few off-campus students and faculty utilized ordered media.
• Greatest media utilization occurred when packages were available on-campus.
• Students accessed materials before or after rural clerkships most frequently.

Conclusions:

• On-campus access to instructional media significantly increases its use by students.
• Strategies for media distribution need to consider student accessibility and convenience.
• Optimizing media delivery can enhance the educational impact of rural clerkships.