An obstetric and gynecologic clerkship''s influence on a medical community: The Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho Anchorage obstetric and gynecologic clerkship

OBJECTIVES: Our purpose was to explore the influences of an obstetric and gynecologic medical student clerkship on a remote medical community. Return of physicians to Alaska and faculty perceptions of their experience were central foci.STUDY DESIGN: Data were obtained on former clerks to determine choice of speciality and location of practice. Data regarding all physicians new to Alaska was correlated with the University of Washington Medical School graduate data. Additionally, a questionnaire with a Likert-type scale evaluated the 10 clinical faculty members participating in the clerkship.RESULTS: Between 1978 and 1991 we trained 266 clerks. A total of 77 of 374 (21%) new physicians in Alaska (1978 to 1991) were graduates of the University of Washington; 26 of those 77 (34%) were our former Anchorage obstetrics and gynecology clerks. The clinical faculty reported both positive and negative effects of their participation in the clerkship.CONCLUSION: The desired benefit, the return of new physicians to Alaska, seemed supported. Questionnaire results hinted at additional benefits for the supervising faculty physicians in this isolated community. The formal affiliation effected by the clerkship seemed to have a positive impact on patient care, communication, consultation, and shared action among the participating physicians. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1997;176:1363-7.)