Effect of residency program merger on undergraduate medical student education in obstetrics and gynecology

Objective:To evaluate the effect of residency program merger on third-year medical student clerkships using student evaluations of their experiences a nd standardized subject examination scores. Methods: End-of-clerkship ratings from student evaluations and National Boa rd of Medical Examiners standardized subject examination scores in obstetri cs and gynecology were used from clerkship sites where three separate milit ary residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology recently merged into tw o new programs. Mean student evaluation scores and subject examination scor es for the year preceding and the year following the merger were compared. Results: The mean differences in medical student evaluation scores before a nd after merger of the residency programs were 0.1 (Mann-Whitney rank sum, P = .1), -0.1 (Mann-Whitney rank sum, P = .8), and 0.2 (Mann-Whitney rank s um, P = .3). The mean differences for subject examination scores before and after merger of the residency programs were -3.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] -33.2, 26.2; paired t test), -30.1 (95% CI -58.9, -1.4; paired t test) , and -35.3 (95% CI -74.8, 4.3; paired t test). Conclusion: Merger of residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology does not appear to have a deleterious effect on medical students' satisfaction w ith the clerkship or their performance on standardized subject examinations at our institution.