title: Design and implementation of a longitudinal ambulatory clerkship in the first-year curriculum at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
abstract: In response to calls for medical education reform we designed and implemented a new Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship (LAC) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The LAC provides first-year medical students with their initial exposure to clinical medicine during a 12-month experience consisting of weekly clinic sessions with a practicing physician-mentor (preceptor) and longitudinal experience with a population of patients. The LAC allows students to experience firsthand many of the personal, professional, and organizational issues that impact the practice of medicine. This paper reviews the rationale, development, and challenges during implementation of this clerkship.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rosalyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dlhosh
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marino
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Maura J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McGuire
keywords: education reform; faculty development; health professional education; primary care