title: Associations between medical student log data and clerkship learning outcomes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Largely due to regulatory requirements, medical students increasingly document patient encounters in logs. Prior studies demonstrated value in achieving course objectives but not regarding objective learning outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to assess the associations between students' log data and clerkship outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed ambulatory, internal medicine-pediatrics clerkship logs. Students recorded patients' diagnoses, preceptor's teaching content and performing histories and physicals (H&P). We examined associations between log data and National Board of Medical Examiners Subject Exams (NBME), Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCE), and clinical evaluations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 272 students completed logs (M diagnoses = 146.5, SD = 24.9). In univariate analysis number of diagnoses, preceptors' teaching patient management and performing H&P independently correlated with OSCE scores (r = .13-.24, p < .05). NBME scores correlated with diagnoses, performing H&P independently (r = .13-.18, p < .05). Teaching patient management, diagnoses, performing H&P independently were associated with clinical evaluations (all ps < .05). Regressions demonstrated that performing physicals independently was associated with NBME and OSCE scores (p < .05, R (2) = .03 and .05, respectively). Teaching disease management and pediatric diagnoses were associated with clinical evaluations (p < .05) in medicine and pediatrics, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aspects of teaching, increased clinical involvement, and student autonomy were associated with clerkship performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. elnickim@upmc.edu
authors.forename: D Michael
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Elnicki
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zalenski
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahoney
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003625:Data Collection; D004522:Educational Status; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008499:Medical Records; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011231:Preceptorship; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States