The authors took an empirical approach to determining ingredients of a
successful psychiatry clerkship. They collected measures of clinical,
didactic, and interpersonal experiences throughout the clerkship and
correlated these with a range of outcomes. Correlations showed that
positive relationships with supervisors, fellow students, and patients were
strongly related to favorable attitudes and opinions at the end of the
clerkship and to improvements in self-rated clinical skills. Only outcomes
related to formal knowledge were independent of these factors. These
findings highlight the importance of structuring a positive interpersonal
environment for the psychiatry clerkship.Abstract Teaser