Changes in medical students' perceptions of family practice resulting from a required clerkship.

BACKGROUND: Career choice research has shown that exposing medical students to family medicine, through a special medical school emphasis or a required clerkship, correlates with an increased rate of selection of family practice. It has been hypothesized that actual exposure to family medicine mitigates the negative stereotypes held by many medical students.
METHODS: This study used a qualitative strategy to examine how a family medicine clerkship altered medical students' perceptions and attitudes toward this specialty. A series of 12 focus groups were conducted with the students who had just completed a required family medicine junior core clerkship at our institution.
RESULTS: Focus group findings confirmed the existence of negative stereotypes about family practice among medical students and provided additional information on their nature and origins. In addition, student comments indicated that a third-year family medicine clerkship experience dispelled this negative stereotyping and instilled in students a greater respect for and interest in family practice.
CONCLUSION: Third-year clerkships can enhance students' perceptions of family practice by dispelling negative stereotypes and by providing medical students with a more accurate portrayal of the nature of this primary care specialty.