Increasing recruitment of quality students to obstetrics and gynecology: Impact of a structured clerkship

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the satisfaction of the third-year medical students with their basic third-year obstetrics and gynecology rotation before and after a concerted effort was made to improve the rotation with prompt feedback and problem-based case learning. METHODS: At the end of each rotation, third-year medical students were asked to anonymously fill out an in-house course evaluation. A 1-5 rating scale to evaluate quality of teaching, instructor's commitment and enthusiasm, and enhancement of professional development was used. Scores were compared over 4 years, and a Wilcoxon rank sum analysis was performed to determine significance. Evaluations were compared for 1999 and 2000, which were the 2 years before the initiation of the structured rotation, with 2001 and 2002, the first 2 years of the new approach's implementation. RESULTS: Sixty third-year students were evaluated. The students noted that the quality of teaching improved (P < .002), the instructors' commitment and enthusiasm increased (P <.001), instructors enhanced the student's professional development (P <.001), and students perceived faculty as positive role models (P <.001). It is noteworthy that between the years 1999 and 2000, the number of students interested in obstetrics and gynecology was 3 and 4, respectively, whereas in 2001 and 2002, the first 2 years after implementation of the new process, 6 and 7 students, respectively, were interested in this field. CONCLUSION: Students' satisfaction with their third-year clerkship improved with a structured program and increased faculty involvement.