Observational study of clinical clerkship activities

An observational study of the clinical clerkship program at the University of Toronto was conducted within the Department of Medicine and the Department of Anesthesia in two teaching hospitals in 1972. The objectives of the study were to: (a) describe the activities of the clerks, (b) identify teaching and learning experiences, and (c) describe the effects of career selection with respect to responsibility, skill development, and enjoyment of the program. The investigators’ observational conclusions, from a small number of clerks, were checked by a questionnaire study of 118 clerks in eight teaching hospitals. The findings indicate that program content varied depending upon the training orientations of staff members, residents, and clerks. Ten modes of learning were identified. It is hypothesized that the greater the fit between preference learning modes and learning experiences the more likely the attainment of program aims. Data of this kind may assist staff and residents to adjust their training techniques to clerks’ learning preferences and, in doing so, improve clerkship training.