The awarding of honors to medical clerks. Results of a national survey.

We conducted a national survey of medical schools to determine the frequency of the awarding of honors to third-year clinical clerks and fourth-year subinterns in internal medicine. Of 126 schools surveyed, 86.5% responded. Of those responding, 66% award honors to their junior clerks and 47% award honors to their fourth-year students rotating on the internal medicine service. Consistent criteria do not exist among programs and even within some programs for such awards. The number of students receiving the awards or the percentage of the class that is felt to qualify for honors is also highly variable. The attainment of honors is an important criterion for residency selection as well as a positive predictor of future performance of candidates. The writing of the dean's letter, residency selection, and the date of the National Residency Matching Program results announcement are now occurring later in the academic year than previously, thus making the results of the fourth-year medicine rotations available to residency selection committees by the time choices have to be made. We conclude, therefore, that it seems useful for all medical schools to award honors not only to third-year clerks but also to senior students.