The educational value of inpatient psychiatric training in undergraduate medical education

The core psychiatry clerkship, typically held during the third year of medical school, serves as the primary opportunity for medical students to gain exposure to the clinical practice of psychiatry. Multiple studies have evaluated the effect that the clerkship has on students, and a clear body of evidence indicates that the clerkship influences students’ attitudes towards the field of psychiatry.1 While studies have typically found that clerkships result in a more favorable view of psychiatry as a practice2-4, the specific components that students find valuable have not been examined in nearly as much detail.