Length of Psychiatry Clerkships

The authors assessed the extent of change in the length of psychiatry clerkships in U.S. medical schools from 1995–1996 to 1998–1999 and explored the relationship between clerkship length and percentage of medical students choosing psychiatry as a career. Data from 124 U.S. medical schools over 4 years included clerkship length in weeks and percentage of graduating students entering psychiatry residencies. Fifteen schools sustained reductions in rotation length; the mean clerkship measured in weeks decreased for the entire sample from 6.27 to 6.04 (t = 3.086, P<0.003). There was no significant correlation between clerkship length and recruitment into psychiatry. There appears to be a trend toward shorter psychiatry clerkships in recent years; however, there is no demonstrable relationship between length of clerkship and medical student interest in psychiatry as a career.