title: A community continuity programme: volunteer faculty mentors and continuity learning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Longitudinal generalist preceptorship experiences early in medical education can have beneficial effects on how students practise the art and science of medicine, regardless of their eventual career choices.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the first 2 years of implementation of an integrated, regional campus-based, early clinical experience programme, the Community Continuity Program, at our new community-based medical school that is under the supervision of volunteer primary care faculty members acting as continuity mentors (CMs). Curricular components for years 1 and 2 consisted of three annual 1-week community-based experiences with CMs, extensive physical diagnosis practice, interprofessional learning activities, a multigenerational family care experience, a mandatory Community Health Research Project (CHRP) in year 1 and a mandatory Quality Improvement Project in year 2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Outcome measures included student, faculty member and programme evaluations, student reflective narratives in portal-based e-journals, a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) self-study student survey and serial level-of-empathy surveys.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students found all elements of this integrated community experience programme beneficial and worthwhile, especially the CMs and the use of standardised and real-life patients. CMs noted effective and professional student-patient interactions. The number of reflective e-journal postings per student during year1 ranged from 14 to 81 (mean, 47). Serial empathy questionnaires administered over 2 years demonstrated preservation of student empathy, and students believed that the programme had a positive effect on their personal level of empathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An integrative, longitudinal, community-based, early clinical experience programme driven by volunteer CMs provides patient-centered instruction for preclinical students in the clinical, social, behavioural, ethical and research foundations of medicine.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Family Community & Rural Medicine and Medicine, The Commonwealth Medical College, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. mcgeehan@rowan.edu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGeehan
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shenberger
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tracy
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smego
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004645:Empathy; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014838:Volunteers / Q000458:organization & administration*