Multiple strategies for studying medical clerkship experiences: a case study

As part of a study reported here, the authors explored the utility of combining information generated by using various methodological approaches to study medical clerkship education. The clerkship consisted of two six-week rotations on two separate medical services. Three trained observers followed three third-year medical students for six consecutive days during the first and last week of each rotation. Observers went everywhere with students during each observational period, including 24-hour on-call days. The medical students also kept diaries of their daily experience during the study period. Diary data were combined with data from field observations and interviews to illustrate the enhanced understanding gained from a multiple-strategy approach.