The nonphysician "medical student educator": a formal addition to the clerkships and key programs at an academic medical center.
BACKGROUND
Medical school faculty members face increased clinical and academic demands, leaving less time for teaching, curriculum development, and assessment of learners.


METHODS
The Keck School of Medicine has hired a dedicated medical student educator for each required clerkship. The medical student educator assists the clerkship director with clinical teaching, curriculum development, student and program evaluation, and administrative functions.


RESULTS
The program has been well received by both students and faculty. Students believe that the medical student educators add value to their clinical experiences and support both their clinical education and personal and professional development. Preliminary data suggest that student performance has improved, and additional measures of quantitative impact are under way.


CONCLUSIONS
Medical student educators have been a successful addition to the program at the Keck School of Medicine. This strategy should be considered at medical schools that are experiencing resource constraints.
Elliott
Donna
D
Educational Affairs and Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-9020, USA. delliott@usc.edu
Ingersoll
Sarah
S
Sullivan
Maura
M
Bruning
Madeleine
M
Logan
Moreen
M
Taylor
Clive R
CR
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D002140:California; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000379:methods*; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*