POSTER

Innovations in Education: A Rural, Longitudinal Pediatric Rotation

Authors: Sarah Moerschel, MD
West Virginia University Eastern Division

Objective: Innovative teaching techniques will be needed as greater numbers of students are trained in community settings. The Eastern Division of West Virginia University has trained third year students in a six month longitudinal, interdisciplinary, community based setting.

Methods: Sixteen students from West Virginia University and West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine receive their third year training in the Eastern Division of WVU. This remote campus is in an underserved, rapidly growing area of the state. It is three hours from the tertiary care university hospital. Students receive significantly more exposure to outpatient pediatrics and community based experiences than most traditional block rotations. CLIPP cases and assigned readings are required.

Results: Outcomes at our community campus were compared to an 8 week block experience at the main campus in Morgantown using national exams, student rating, and observations by faculty. NBME Pediatric Shelf exam scores for the community campus were in the 54^th percentile, compared to main campus scores of 48-58^th %ile. Students' ratings of the clerkship in the community campus were similar to ratings of the main campus.

Conclusion: A rural, longitudinal program can provide an excellent pediatric experience to third year students. Students benefited from the hands-on aspect of training in a community hospital, and from the reinforcing nature of the longitudinal, interdisciplinary program.