Exploring Undergraduate Medical Student Experiences of Training Within a Community-Based Paediatric Clinic.

Background

Undergraduate medical education in Ireland comprises of clinical training largely within teaching hospitals, with less emphasis on training in community settings. Studies show a move beyond traditional models of training is needed, particularly in the domain of community child health. A multi-agency, inter-disciplinary community paediatric clinic was established in a disadvantaged area of southern Ireland.

Methods

A descriptive study design was used. Research tools included a mixed-methods online questionnaire and qualitative reflective essays. Microsoft Excel generated descriptive statistics from quantitative questionnaire responses. Braun and Clarke's framework guided thematic analysis of qualitative data. Data integration and reporting were conducted in line with mixed-methods research design standards.

Results

Fifty-two medical students consented to participate. Thirty-two (62%) responded to the online questionnaire. Twenty reflective essays were randomly selected. Ninety-four percent felt the clinic provided an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills, 96% reported the experience strongly improved their understanding of child health and development, and 90% reported the experience was extremely valuable to their overall learning. Qualitative analysis showed engagement with a vulnerable population in the community increased student knowledge, informed practice, and heightened awareness of social deprivation and its impact on child development.

Conclusion

Exposure to a community-based paediatric clinic influenced undergraduate medical student training through experiential and transformative learning. Our experience of teaching clinical skills in the community could be replicated across medical fields to the benefit of the wider community.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01699-3.

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Association of Medical Science Educators 2022, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Conflict of InterestThe authors declare no competing interests.