The relationship between prior clerkship experience and student performance in medicine clerkships. Implications for...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between prior clerkship experience and student performance in a third-year medicine clerkship. Trend analysis was used to determine if there was a linear relationship between amount of prior clerkship experience and scores on the following performance measures: subjective preceptor ratings; locally developed examinations; and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Special Examination in Medicine. Results indicated a positive linear relationship between amount of prior experience and the NBME Special Examination in Medicine, but no trends were found for the other performance measures. The effect was found to be a short-term phenomenon, in that no sequencing effect was evident from 1 to 2 years later, as indicated by scores on the Medicine subtest of NBME II. Implications for grading are discussed.