Evaluating the Impact of Pairing Medical Students Together on Clinical Teams During Clerkships

Abstract

Purpose: Medical students are often paired together on clinical teams during their clerkships, but this practice has not been previously investigated. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to retrospectively assess whether pairing students on medical teams during their sub-internship affected their grade and (2) to survey medical students’ perceptions on the impact of pairing on their evaluations. Methods: The authors analyzed 186 student pairings within the medicine sub-internship at 3 hospital sites of Harvard Medical School from 2013-2017. Employing contingency table analysis, the authors examined categorical grading data comparing expected and observed grading distributions, controlling for performance from the third year internal medicine clerkship. The authors also developed and administered a survey assessing student perceptions on pairing to the 2018 graduating class of Harvard Medical School. Results: Among 186 student-pairs, there was no deviation between the expected and observed distribution of student grades (p=0.39), even when controlling for prior internal medicine clerkship performance (p=0.28), suggesting that pairing had no effect on the sub-internship grade. Ninety nine students responded to the survey (59% response rate). Ninety percent and 87% of respondents felt that being paired affected their evaluations by resident and attending physicians, respectively. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that pairing medical students together on clerkships may not affect student grades, despite the majority of surveyed students believing that being paired affects their evaluations. Awareness of student perceptions regarding pairing can inform clerkship structure and be utilized to address student concerns.