Faculty Perspectives on Inpatient Clinical Experiences in a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship Curriculum: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Purpose: Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC) curricula have gained popularity among medical schools due to their demonstrated benefits in fostering improved relationships among patients, students, and faculty compared to traditional block schedules. The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (SSOM) adopted a comprehensive LIC curriculum for all campuses in 2014. SSOM encompasses four campuses distributed across the state. Faculty sufficiency has presented a persistent challenge, complicating student scheduling. Additionally, dissatisfaction among faculty regarding patient continuity has emerged as a key concern. To address this, inpatient clinical experiences were incorporated into the LIC curriculum in 2023.

Methods: A pre- and post-implementation mixed-methods analysis was conducted to evaluate the impact of inpatient clinical experiences on faculty satisfaction. Participants included teaching faculty who completed anonymous online surveys evaluating their satisfaction with the LIC schedule and patient continuity. The first survey was conducted in December 2022 for faculty enrolled in the 2022-23 LIC cohort prior to the implementation of inpatient clinical experiences (ICE). Subsequent surveys were conducted in 2023 and 2024 after implementation of ICE.

Results: In 2022, 79% of faculty expressed satisfaction with the traditional LIC schedule, yet 30% of faculty (N=92) reported dissatisfaction with patient continuity. Since the implementation of ICE weeks into the LIC, the 2024 faculty reported 73% (N=60) prefer the new hybrid model and 15% (N=12) prefer the traditional LIC. The hybrid model demonstrated a 29% (N=26) dissatisfaction rating for teaching continuity. However, 56% (N=48) of faculty reported satisfaction with student learning outcomes. Further qualitative and quantitative results from this survey will be shared regarding faculty satisfaction with student knowledge retention and teaching workload distribution.

Conclusion: Initial findings for the incorporation of ICE into the LIC curriculum show faculty prefer a hybrid LIC over a traditional LIC. Results also showed satisfaction with student learning outcomes.