title: Effect of curriculum change on exam performance in a 4-week psychiatry clerkship.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University College of Medicine, 1670 Upham Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USA. julie.niedermier@osumc.edu
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niedermier
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Way
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kasick
authors.forename: Rada
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuperschmidt
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013997:Time Factors