Effectiveness and student perceptions of standardized radiology clerkship lectures: a comparison between resident and attending radiologist performances.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The authors' objective in this study was to determine whether radiology residents can effectively substitute for attending radiologists in delivering standardized lectures to medical students, without a decline in student performance on examinations or perception of the clerkship lectures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 2001 and July 2002, 40 3rd- and 4th-year medical students in the radiology clerkship at Rhode Island Hospital were given 11 standardized PowerPoint presentations. Half of the students were lectured by attending radiologists, and the other half were given the same lectures by radiology residents. At the end of each lecture, students completed surveys regarding their perceptions of the lecture. At the end of each clerkship, a written examination was administered to the students. The results of the surveys and the written examinations were then analyzed to determine whether there were significant differences between the perceptions and performances of these two student groups. RESULTS: There was no significant difference regarding the perceived overall lecture quality and no significant difference in final examination performance between the two student groups. Lectures by residents were perceived as having an environment in which students felt more comfortable asking questions. Attending radiologist lecturers, however, were perceived to have a greater ability to answer student questions, as well as to ask more appropriate questions of students. CONCLUSION: Radiology residents were as effective overall as attending radiologists at presenting standardized lecture material to medical students, with no difference in student perception of overall lecture quality or in student performance on examinations.

Importance of radiology clerkships in teaching medical students life-threatening abnormalities on conventional chest radiographs.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of medical students who had already completed medicine and surgery clerkships to identify life-threatening abnormalities on conventional chest radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2000 to August 2001, 72 consecutive 3rd- and 4th-year medical students enrolled in the radiology clerkship at Rhode Island Hospital completed examinations before and after the radiology clerkship. During the examination, they were asked to identify acute abnormalities on five conventional chest radiographs. Only students who had already completed both medicine and surgery clerkships were included in this prospective study. RESULTS: Before the radiology clerkship, the frequency of correct diagnoses of pneumothorax, pneumoperitoneum, congestive heart failure, misplaced endotracheal tube, and misplaced feeding tube were 40%, 61%, 57%, 6%, and 6%, respectively. After the radiology clerkship, these findings were correctly identified more than 94% of the time (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Learning to identify life-threatening abnormalities on conventional chest radiographs through medicine and surgery clerkships is insufficient. The radiology clerkship provides a unique educational experience that significantly improves these abilities.