title: Mandatory clerkship in physical medicine and rehabilitation: effect on medical students' knowledge of physiatry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of a 2-week clerkship on the perceptions and knowledge of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) among fourth-year medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of fourth-year medical students before and after completion of a mandatory clerkship.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Knowledge of PM&R by fourth-year medical students is marginal, but a clerkship increases the awareness of the practice of physiatry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mandatory clerkships can help expose future physicians to the benefits of physiatric services and should be pursued by academic PM&R departments.
authors.affiliation: Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kirshblum
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: DeLisa
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Campagnolo
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010810:Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires