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Psychiatry Clerkship Students’ Preparation, Reflection, and Results on the NBME Psychiatry Subject Exam

Received August 29, 2007; revised November 20, 2007, and January 31, 2008; accepted February 13, 2008. Drs. Briscoe and Fore-Arcand are affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va.; Dr. Levine is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Tex; Dr. Carlson is affiliated with the Department of Neuroscience at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Fargo, N.D.; Dr. Spollen is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in North Little Rock, Ark.; Dr. Pelic is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.; Dr. Al-Mateen is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va. Address correspondence to Gregory W. Briscoe, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 825 Fairfax Ave., Norfolk, VA 23507; briscogw{at}evms.edu (e-mail).

OBJECTIVE: Psychiatry clerkship training involves many learning components, one of which is acquisition of scholarly knowledge. The authors investigate the reading materials and learning methods used by clinical clerks in their preparation for the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Psychiatry Subject Exam (PSE). METHODS: Clerkship students from six U.S. medical schools who had recently completed their psychiatry clerkship and PSE were surveyed regarding reading material use, teaching methods encountered, and other relevant resources which may have influenced their PSE scores. RESULTS: The most frequently used PSE preparation material was a "step-or-prep" book, followed by practice questions, handouts, and assigned texts. No single preparation material type or combination proved significantly different in influencing PSE scores. The didactic methods used in clerkships did differ significantly in their influence on PSE scores. Students in the top quartile used slightly more books and different combinations of books than students in the bottom quartile. CONCLUSION: Students exhibited several trends in their preparation for the PSE. The most striking findings were the heavy student reliance on step-or-prep books over other learning resources and that step-or-prep books did not demonstrate significance as a superior preparation resource for the PSE. These trends in third-year psychiatric rotations have important implications for medical student education.

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