Background: This study assessed the clinical learning experiences provided to third-year medical students during a 2-week, required, community-based family medicine preceptorship.
Methods: After completing the preceptorship, students classified their level of performance on 80 clinical activities. During 3 academic years, 486 third-year students completed the preceptorship.
Results: Delivery of well-child care was the only prevention skill in which a high percentage of students (more than 67%) received experience; students received moderate experience (34%-67% of students) with another seven prevention skills. Students received a high level of active experience with four clinical problems--upper respiratory tract infection, acute otitis media, sinusitis, and strep throat--and a moderate level of active experience on another 17 clinical problems. There were no procedural skills on which students received a high level of experience, but students received a moderate level of experience with 10 procedural skills.
Conclusions: This brief family medicine preceptorship provided a clinical setting in which students actively engaged in several facets of ambulatory primary care. For accountability, programs need to more clearly articulate what exposure is to be gained in each clinical rotation, strive to enhance active practice, and document levels of student performance.