Clerkship site and duration: do they influence student performance?

At the School of Medicine of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the surgical clerkship became mandatory in 1976. From the academic years 1976 through 1979, it was a 6-week program. Since the fall of 1979, it has been a 12-week program. Students have been divided among the University Center (the University Hospital and the Northport Veterans Administration Medical Center), two voluntary hospitals, and two county hospitals. This retrospective study was conducted to determine if duration of clinical site influenced student performance. Students taking the longer clerkship scored significantly higher on National Board examinations, oral examinations, and evaluations of clinical performance than did students in the shorter clerkship. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in the performance among students at different clinical campuses. Positive relationships were found between National Board scores versus oral examination scores, National Board scores versus clinical performance grades, and oral examinations versus clinical grades.