title: The effect of emergency department observational experience on medical student interest in emergency medicine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In many different health care educational models, shadowing, or observational experience, is accepted as integral to introducing students to the specifics of medical specialties.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether emergency department (ED) observational experiences (EDOs) affect medical students' (MSs') interest in emergency medicine (EM). Additionally, we examined how the subjective quality of clinical exposures influences this interest and the decision to recommend EDOs to other students.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a survey of MSs at a Level 1 tertiary care university hospital during a 2-year period. The study focused on assessing perception of ED exposure, post-EDO change in EM interest, and decision to recommend EDOs to others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of MSs had a change in EM interest post-EDO and recommended EDOs. Both variables correlated to ED exposure ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EDO significantly influenced MS interest in EM by providing exposure to various aspects of the ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Laleh
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gharahbaghian
authors.forename: Rasha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hindiyeh
authors.forename: Mark I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Langdorf
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vaca
authors.forename: Craig L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: J Akiva
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kahn
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wiechmann
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lotfipour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003625:Data Collection; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019370:Observation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical; D055815:Young Adult