Impact of Medical Student Participation in Student-Run Clinics on Education, Residency Selection, and Patient Care: A Review of Selected Articles

Abstract

Student-run clinics (SRCs) are becoming increasingly popular at medical schools in the United States. These clinics have provided a variety of benefits, including serving disadvantaged populations and providing early clinical exposure for students. There has been no consensus on the impact of SRCs on medical education, specialty selection, and patient care. This review provides a thorough overview of student and patient outcomes as a function of medical students volunteering at SRCs. We queried PubMed for original literature published in English between the years 2000 and 2020. Inclusion criteria included primary research articles evaluating the impact of medical student participation in SRCs on education, specialty selection, and patient care. All articles included in the final review were agreed upon by three reviewers, and the pertinent data were extracted. Of 10,200 initial search results, seven papers were included in this review. These included two studies evaluating medical education, five studies evaluating residency selection, and three studies analyzing patient care. Three studies were included in multiple evaluations. The relationship between volunteering at SRCs and academic performance is unclear. Clinic volunteers had increased retention of empathy compared to non-volunteers. Additionally, clinic volunteers provided satisfactory care as determined by patient-reported outcomes, and were not more likely to pursue primary care specialties. As SRCs are increasing in number, research into the impact on medical students and patients is necessary to understand how these clinics may affect the field of health care. It is important to further evaluate how medical student involvement in SRCs can further improve patient care and outcomes.

Public participation in healthcare students' education: An umbrella review

“…Sixteen articles reported students developed an increased understanding of patient's perspectives and experiences by engaging with the public through their education 4,14–16,18–20,22,23,25–29,31,32 …”

“…Eleven articles reported that when the public interacted with healthcare students it resulted in increased trust between the public and healthcare providers 4,14–17,19,20,23,27,28,32 . These interactions also improved patient satisfaction 4,14–17,23,26,27 and improved communication between healthcare providers and the public 16,17,19,20 …”

“…Ten articles reported that when the public participated in healthcare students’ education, they received better care, which resulted in increased satisfaction 4,15–18,20,23,24,26,32 . When patients participated in teaching, healthcare providers learned patient‐centred care and holistic care.…”

“…Fourteen articles reported that students developed greater empathy for patients through their interactions with the public 4,14,16–25,29,32 . This included greater understanding and empathy for medical, social and cultural factors that often impact overall health and wellbeing 22–24,32 .…”

“…Sixteen articles reported students developed an increased understanding of patient's perspectives and experiences by engaging with the public through their education. 4 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 31 , 32 For some, this awareness led to a reduction in the stigmatization of certain conditions such as mental illness. As a result of interacting with the public, students reported an increase in their awareness of patients' experiences with a variety of medical conditions.…”