How good is the ambulatory care clinic for learning clinical skills? Students' and residents' perceptions differ

The objective of this study was to compare learner perceptions of the educa tional value of patient interactions in art ambulatory care medical clinic (AMC) with those on a clinical teaching unit (CTU) and to discern whether t here is a difference in the perceptions of residents and students. During a six-month period a research assistant interviewed residents and students f ollowing their patient encounters in an RMC and on a CTU. Using a clinical skills log she collected information on trainee perceptions of the relevanc e of each patient encounter for learning 16 important clinical skills. The study was carried out in the AMC and on the medical CTUs of a major teachin g hospital of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. All residents and students assigned to the two teaching sites during the six-month study were asked to volunteer for the interview. Comparisons between the relevanc e ratings of the 16 clinical skills revealed that mean ratings of CTU exper iences were similar for the two groups while students accorded higher relev ance ratings to AMC interactions for eight of the 16 skills. Students rated more highly the 'educational value' of ambulatory care patients than did r esidents.