Clinical Clerkship With or Without Scheduled Patient Consultations: Does It Make a Difference to Medical Students' Experiences of Learning?

Background: Becoming a medical expert involves leadership and professionalism, which are critical skills to learn in medical education. However, a gap exists in understanding how didactic variations in the organisation of clinical clerkships impact medical students' opportunities to develop these skills. This study explored how clinical clerkships with or without scheduled patient consultations affect medical students' experiences of learning leadership and professional behaviour. Materials and Methods: We conducted a qualitative, quasi-experimental study. Data were gathered through 11 end-of-clerkship focus group interviews with 87 fifth-year medical students who participated in one of two 8-week clerkships at a surgical department: a clerkship with a mentor physician or a clerkship with Results: The analyses resulted in a descriptive framework displaying nine themes. Each theme was described as Discussion: This study investigates differences in student learning experiences when participating in a clerkship with or without scheduled patient consultation and, therefore, adds new insight into the need for a balanced, thoughtful, and didactic approach to medical education that considers both clinical exposure and co-regulated learning. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02160-3.