Academic Psychiatry 13: 106-112,
June
1989
© 1989 Academic Psychiatry
The Psychiatry Clerkship
Use of the "Split" Rotation in Clinical Training
Terry C. McMahon M.D.1 and
Duane Armstrong B.S.2
1 Department of psychiatry at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas 79430
2 Department of psychiatry
Psychiatry clerkships traditionally place students on a single site for the duration of the rotation. This article describes an eight-week training model in which students rotate through two different sites during their clerkship. On one "track," students spend four weeks each on an inpatient mental health unit and consultation-liaison service. On the other "track," students spend four weeks each on an inpatient chemical dependency unit and an outpatient psychiatry service. The rationale for this split rotation is described and the "tracks" are compared via students' performance on clinical evaluations, oral exams, and a written exam (NBME Subtest in Clinical Psychiatry). Based on these outcome variables, both tracks appear to provide comparable and effective clinical training for junior clerks.
