Teaching "family": evaluating a multidimensional clerkship curriculum
Lang, F.; Floyd, M.; Beine, K.L.; Parker, M.; Abell, C.
Family Medicine 28(7): 484-487
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0742-3225 PMID: 8818618 Document Number: 455028
A multidimensional program that includes workshops on family systems, family interviewing, a home visit, and faculty precepting at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is described and evaluated. Over a 3-year period, ETSU junior clerks received systematic instruction on family issues in medical practice. Evaluations were obtained at the conclusion of the experience. The number of students who rated the importance of family in family practice as "very strong" increased from 14 (28%) to 33 (66%) between the beginning and the end of the rotation. The majority of students reported that each of the curricular elements on family had a "strong positive impact" and rated home visits as most important in promoting their understanding of families. The curriculum on family had a significant role in enhancing students' appreciation of the importance of the family in medicine.