Students' clinical contacts in family medicine during the first two years of medical school.
Departments of family medicine in U.S. medical schools were surveyed regarding the ongoing contact that occurs between preclinical students and either patients or physicians. Over 90 percent of those surveyed responded. Twenty-six departments provided ongoing contact between preclinical students and both patients and physicians, 42 departments provided ongoing contact with physicians only, and three departments provided ongoing contact with patients only. Based on these results, approximately 3,000 to 5,000 students in each medical school class nationally have some type of ongoing family medicine clinical contact during their first and/or second year. Rigorous evaluation of programs providing clinical exposure to preclinical students is needed to determine their impact on patient care and student learning.
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical; D014481:United States