Learning to be a doctor: Medical students ’ perception of their roles in longitudinal outpatient clerkships

Historically, medical school education consisted of primarily didactic, non-clinical experiences during the first two years followed by clinical clerkships in the third and fourth year. Since the 1990s, educators have recognized the theoretical benefits of early clinical experiences during the first and second years of medical school and have advocated for implementing them in curricula [1 –4]. Early exposure to patient care environments is associated with numerous beneficial outcomes including improvements in student communication skills, superior performance in third year clerkships, higher satisfaction in medical education, increased student understanding and insight into patient and community health perspectives, and positive effects on professional development and identify formation [1,5–10].
Source: Patient Education and Counseling - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research