Describing learning experiences of undergraduate medical students in rural settings

This article describes a method for evaluating clinical experiences gained by undergraduate medical students at the University of Washington who take a family medicine clerkship at one of five rural communities. The student's clinical, community and practice management activities are documented on a standardized daily log. This log permits efficient transcription to punch cards. Data analysis results in a list of diagnoses, procedures, and community and practice management activities. These experiences are presented in order of frequency with a distribution of experiences by level of student responsibility, by location or agency, and by follow-up versus first contact. The results presented here constitute a summary profile over three academic quarters. The data reveal a substantial student exposure to medical problems common in family practice. Students assume a relatively high level of responsibility and experience continuity in patient care. This paper describes various ways in which these results are used.