Capsule Commentary on Glod et al., Clerkship Roles and Responsibilities in a Rapidly Changing Landscape: a National Survey of Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors

Excerpt

Glod et al.¹ provide insight into the current role of internal medicine (IM) clerkship directors (CDs). The 83% response rate from the 129 LCME-accredited US medical schools with CDIM membership provides confidence that the results reflect today’s state. Because of differences in design and content, this survey is not directly comparable to the last large survey of CDs conducted in 2007²; however, certain trends emerge. Although the 2003 Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE) statement recommended 50% salary support,³ the 2007 survey from multiple disciplines found an average of 22% salary support,² and the current IM CDs report between 21 and 50% with two-thirds supported 40% or less. Similarly, 40% of 2007 CDs had a discretionary budget² compared with 35% of IM CDs in the current study. The current role is also complex—40% of IM CDs report to the dean of curriculum, 70% direct other clinical experiences, including electives and subinternships, and 61% supervise other faculty members. …