Understanding Student Experiences in a Near-Peer Resident Shadowing Program

Introduction. The preparation of medical students for clerkship has been criticized, both in terms of students’ ability to understand their new role as clinical trainees and in their ability to carry out that role. To begin to address this gap, this paper reports the experiences of students in a shadowing program aimed at enhancing the preparedness of medical students for clinical training. The study examined a novel program, the Resident-Medical Student Shadowing Program, in which first-year medical students at the University of Alberta shadowed a first-year resident during clinical duties over the course of eight months. Methods. A study was conducted to assess the experiences of 83 first-year medical student participants who shadowed a first-year resident intermittently for one year. Student and resident participants’ experiences were explored using semistructured interviews. Results. Students and residents experiences indicate that participation increased students’ understanding of the clinical environment and their role within it and introduced them to skills and knowledge needed to perform that role. Students reported that a close relationship with their resident enhanced their learning experience. Conclusion. This study demonstrates that a low-cost program in which first-year students shadow residents may be a useful tool for helping prepare students for clerkship. 1. Introduction In Canada, as in many areas of the world, medical education is divided into undergraduate and postgraduate phases. The undergraduate phase consists of medical school, typically four years in duration. This phase can be further broken down into preclerkship and clerkship, as students spend the majority of time in the beginning of medical school in nonclinical environments such as classrooms, laboratories, and small group interactions, while the latter half of medical school is usually devoted to clinical education in hospitals, clinics, and physicians offices. The postgraduate phase, known as residency, constitutes specialization training after graduation from medical school. The first year of residency is generally quite varied as residents are exposed to several specialties related to their chosen specialty of focus. The transition in the undergraduate phase from preclerkship to clerkship can be difficult for many medical students [1]. Among the challenges faced are unfamiliar environments, new roles, and a lack of clinical knowledge and skills. The often abrupt transition to clerkship can be bewildering for students, who as Prince et al. found, may enter this phase