title: Length of psychiatry clerkships: recent changes and the relationship to recruitment.
abstract: The authors assessed the extent of change in the length of psychiatry clerkships in U.S. medical schools from 1995-1996 to 1998-1999 and explored the relationship between clerkship length and percentage of medical students choosing psychiatry as a career. Data from 124 U.S. medical schools over 4 years included clerkship length in weeks and percentage of graduating students entering psychiatry residencies. Fifteen schools sustained reductions in rotation length; the mean clerkship measured in weeks decreased for the entire sample from 6.27 to 6.04 (t=3.086, P<0.003). There was no significant correlation between clerkship length and recruitment into psychiatry. There appears to be a trend toward shorter psychiatry clerkships in recent years; however, there is no demonstrable relationship between length of clerkship and medical student interest in psychiatry as a career.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, 16th Street at First Avenue, New York, NY 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serby
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmeidler
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith