OBJECTIVE: To determine if student performance during the third-year clerkship is influenced by the order of departmental rotation. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective, descriptive study, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores, departmental examination grade (DE) and final block grade (FG) were stratified into six segments based on the order of block time in obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, surgery and family medicine. Consistency was validated by comparing these performance criteria from 1988 to 1992. RESULTS: When all six clerkships were assessed by year, there was no uniform trend of improved performance over time. In the obstetrics-gynecology block, however, NBME scores and FGs were highest for students assigned to the fifth and sixth rotation as compared to the first two groups (P < .02). No such trend was noted with the departmental written examination. In surgery, DE and FG were always lower in the first rotation (P = .0001). Psychiatry DE scores were significantly higher on the second or third blocks as compared to the fifth and sixth rotation positions (P < .001). Students had a higher FG in pediatrics when the sixth position was compared to the second block (P = .02), but the DE grades and NBME scores were not altered by rotational schema. In family medicine and internal medicine, no effect of rotation was noted. CONCLUSION: Third-year clerks tended to have higher NBME scores and FGs in obstetrics-gynecology if they selected this rotation later in the academic year. Surgery DEs and FGs were lowest if selected first in the academic year. There was no similar trend in other nonsurgical specialties. These data suggest that prior clinical rotations positively influence student performance in obstetrics-gynecology.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if student performance during the third-year clerkship is influenced by the order of departmental rotation. STUDY DESIGN: In this retrospective, descriptive study, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) scores, departmental examination grade (DE) and final block grade (FG) were stratified into six segments based on the order of block time in obstetrics-gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, internal medicine, surgery and family medicine. Consistency was validated by comparing these performance criteria from 1988 to 1992. RESULTS: When all six clerkships were assessed by year, there was no uniform trend of improved performance over time. In the obstetrics-gynecology block, however, NBME scores and FGs were highest for students assigned to the fifth and sixth rotation as compared to the first two groups (P < .02). No such trend was noted with the departmental written examination. In surgery, DE and FG were always lower in the first rotation (P = .0001). Psychiatry DE scores were significantly higher on the second or third blocks as compared to the fifth and sixth rotation positions (P < .001). Students had a higher FG in pediatrics when the sixth position was compared to the second block (P = .02), but the DE grades and NBME scores were not altered by rotational schema. In family medicine and internal medicine, no effect of rotation was noted. CONCLUSION: Third-year clerks tended to have higher NBME scores and FGs in obstetrics-gynecology if they selected this rotation later in the academic year. Surgery DEs and FGs were lowest if selected first in the academic year. There was no similar trend in other nonsurgical specialties. These data suggest that prior clinical rotations positively influence student performance in obstetrics-gynecology.
Authors: Matthew Fitz; William Adams; Marc Heincelman; Steve Haist; Karina Whelan; LeeAnn Cox; Uyen-Thi Cao; Susan Hingle; Amanda Raff; Bruce Houghton; Janet Fitzpatrick; Ryan Nall; Jennifer Foster; Jonathan Appelbaum; Cyril Grum; Anna Donovan; Stuart Kiken; Reeni Abraham; Marti Hlafka; Chad Miller; Saurabh Bansal; Douglas Paauw; Cindy J Lai; Amber Pincavage; Gauri Agarwal; Cynthia Burns; Horatio Holzer; Katie Lappé; Viju John; Blake Barker; Nina Mingioni; Deepti Rao; Laura Zakowski; Chayan Chakraborti; Winter Williams; William Kelly Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2022-06-28 Impact factor: 6.473
Authors: Katherine B Lee; Sanjeev N Vaishnavi; Steven K M Lau; Dorothy A Andriole; Donna B Jeffe Journal: J Natl Med Assoc Date: 2007-10 Impact factor: 1.798