Effect of curriculum change on exam performance in a 4-week psychiatry clerkship.
OBJECTIVE
The authors investigated whether curriculum change could produce improved performance, despite a reduction in clerkship length from 8 to 4 weeks.


METHODS
The exam performance of medical students completing a 4-week clerkship in psychiatry was compared to national data from the National Board of Medical Examiners' Psychiatry Subject Examination and the United States Medical Licensure Examination Step 2 CK psychiatry and mental disorders subtests.


RESULTS
Curriculum change and restructuring to a 4-week psychiatry clerkship resulted in above-average and sustained improvement on nationally standardized assessment measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Examination performance can be optimized despite a 50% reduction in the duration of a psychiatry clerkship.
Niedermier
Julie
J
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1670 Upham Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USA. julie.niedermier@osumc.edu
Way
David
D
Kasick
David
D
Kuperschmidt
Rada
R
D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013997:Time Factors