Students completing a pediatric clinical clerkship in a regional center perform as well as their peers training at a university teaching hospital ... and they liked it better

Background: Medical school size in Ontario is increasing. As some institutions cannot accommodate all medical students in the university-affiliated hospital, some students are completing the majority of their clinical rotations in a regional setting. Purpose: To determine whether the regional experience is equivalent to the more traditional tertiary care experience. Methods: Students' examination results and rotation evaluation forms were collected after completing a pediatrics rotation. Results from students completing most of the rotation in a regional setting were compared to those who remained in a tertiary care setting. Results: There was no difference between the two groups on their final examination. Students in the rural setting rated the rotation higher than the students in the university setting. Conclusion: A regional rotation eases the challenges of an increasing medical class size and provides an educationally appropriate rotation for a clinical clerk.