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Subspecialty Exposure in a Psychiatry Clerkship Does Not Improve Student Performance in the Subject Examination

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Abstract

Objective

The authors compared the NBME subject examination scores and subspecialty profiles of 3rd-year medical students who were assigned to psychiatry subspecialties during their clerkship with those who were not.

Methods

The authors collated and analyzed the shelf examination scores, the clinical grades, and the child psychiatry and emergency psychiatry shelf profiles of 361 junior medical students in two medical schools during their psychiatry clerkship.

Results

There were no significant differences on these parameters between the students assigned to subspecialty sites and those who were not.

Conclusions

This study, like some similar previous studies in other clerkships, calls attention to the lack of measurable academic benefit of fragmenting and compartmentalizing the psychiatry clerkship experience for 3rd-year medical students.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychiatry, Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PA

    Carolina Retamero M.D. (faculty member)

  2. Dept. of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA

    Dilip Ramchandani M.D.

Authors
  1. Carolina Retamero M.D.
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  2. Dilip Ramchandani M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carolina Retamero M.D..

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Retamero, C., Ramchandani, D. Subspecialty Exposure in a Psychiatry Clerkship Does Not Improve Student Performance in the Subject Examination. Acad Psychiatry 37, 179–181 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.12040074

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.12040074

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