Specialty choices of students who actually have choices: The influence of excellent clinical teachers

Citation
Ch. Griffith et al., Specialty choices of students who actually have choices: The influence of excellent clinical teachers, ACAD MED, 75(3), 2000, pp. 278-282
Citations number
15
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine
Journal title
ACADEMIC MEDICINE
ISSN journal
1040-2446 → ACNP
Volume
75
Issue
3
Year of publication
2000
Pages
278 - 282
Database
ISI
SICI code
1040-2446(200003)75:3<278:SCOSWA>2.0.ZU;2-N
Abstract
Purpose. To determine the influence of the quality of attending physicians and residents on the specialty choices of excellent medical students, who a ctually have a broad choice of specialties. Method. In 1993-94 and 1994-95, 169 third-year students at the University o f Kentucky College of Medicine were randomly assigned to two one-month rota tions on general medicine inpatient wards. At the end of each rotation, the students confidentially evaluated the attending physician and the supervis ing resident (different for each rotation) with whom they had worked. Data were collected for 62 attending physicians and. 89 residents. The authors a nalyzed the influences of the "best" and "worst" clinical instructors (thos e rated in the top and the bottom 20% by all students with whom they had wo rked over the two years) on "excellent" medical students (the 52 students w hose USMLE I scores were in the top 30% of their class). Results. Using regression approaches from the general linear model, the aut hors found that independent predictors of internal medicine residency choic e for excellent medical students were exposure to highly rated internal med icine attendings (p = .02) and residents (p = .03). Nine of 29 (30%) of the excellent students who worked with a "best" medicine clinical instructor c hose an internal medicine residency, while none of the 23 excellent medical students who did nor work with a "best" medicine clinical instructor did s o. The authors found no correlation in students' ratings of their pairs of attendings and residents, suggesting that rater bias did not explain the re sults. Conclusion. Better medical students who work with the best internal medicin e attending physicians and residents in their internal medicine clerkship a re more likely to choose an internal medicine residency.