Who's Ready? The Effect of Prior Clinical Experience on Perceived Readiness for Clerkship.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how prior clinical experience (PCE) influences medical students' perceived readiness for clerkship. This relationship can help address gaps in preclinical curricula that may affect students' preparedness for real-world clinical tasks. Methods: A validated readiness for clerkship survey (RfC) was used to assess self-reported readiness among students with and without PCE. Furthermore, students' level of confidence was examined in relation to their performance on the summative clinical skills exam (CSE) administered at the end of the second year to gain insights into the relationship between RfC and objective measures of clinical skills. Results: The results showed students who reported having PCE had higher levels of confidence in tasks that require refined social skills, such as preventing conflicts between health team members and describing the psychosocial aspects of a patient's problem. Students who reported no PCE had higher levels of confidence in areas practiced during preclinical curricula, such as taking a history and retrieving relevant information from credible sources. Student performances on the CSE were modestly associated with the overall confidence level. Conclusions: Prior clinical experience affects students' confidence surrounding social skills that are not directly taught in preclinical curricula. This may imply that PCE plays a role in developing social skills in real-world interactions. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02393-w.