The Efficacy of the Psychiatry Clerkship in Developing Students' Comprehensive Clinical Skills.

Objective: This study investigates the impact of the psychiatry rotation in developing students' clinical skills that are applicable across various medical specialties.

Methods: Medical students at Saint Louis University completed the same survey before and after completing a 3½-week psychiatry rotation. Students rated 18 statements on a Likert scale. Statements were grouped into six categories to assess students' confidence in (1) managing medical issues of psychiatric patients, (2) addressing injurious behaviors, (3) gathering a clinical history, (4) de-escalating crises, (5) self-regulating emotions, and (6) empathizing with patients. Students' pre- and post-survey numerical responses were added within the six categories and compared using paired t-tests.

Results: Forty-three students completed both the pre-clerkship and post-clerkship surveys. For all six clinical skills categories, post-survey composite scores significantly increased. Managing medical complaints had a 7-point median score increase. Addressing injurious behavior had a 3-point median increase. Gathering a clinical history had a 4-point median increase. De-escalating crises had a 4-point median increase. Emotional self-regulation had a 2-point median increase. Empathizing with patients had a 2-point median increase. All six paired t-tests between pre- and post-surveys showed p-values < 0.001, indicating subjective improvement in students' performance for each clinical competency.

Conclusion: The psychiatry rotation effectively increased medical students' perceived acquisition of essential clinical skills. These competencies, including gathering a history, emotionally self-regulating, and de-escalating crises, apply to nearly all medical specialties. Further research is needed to investigate which specific opportunities helped students develop these skills and the broader strengths of the psychiatry clerkship.