Pediatric clerkship performance in diverse community clinical settings

To determine whether multiple and diverse clinical settings and resources in a pediatric clerkship result in satisfactory performance by medical students and affect their choice of a pediatric residency after graduation.

Retrospective study 1985 through 1990.

Medical students in a pediatric clerkship in a medical school that is part of a land grant university where the clinical curriculum is conducted in six geographically distinct communities.

(1) Three performance criteria including: multiple choice final examination score, clinical performance evaluations by preceptors, and formal evaluation of patient written records. (2) Students matching with a pediatric or combined internal medicine/pediatric residency.

Of 499 students 92.8% successfully passed all three criteria with no statistically significant differences between communities. A smaller percentage of students (15.2%) (community range, 6 to 18.5%) entered straight or combined pediatric residencies, whether or not a pediatric residency was present in the community.

Medical students can achieve satisfactory competency in pediatric clerkships offered in diverse clinical settings, and choose pediatric residency training whether or not they are exposed to a pediatric residency during their clerkship. A problem-based learning curriculum does not hinder selecting pediatrics as a career choice.