Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
Background
Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are common, and their burden on the healthcare system is increasing as the general population ages. It is essential that medical students be well prepared to evaluate and treat MSK disorders in a confident manner as they enter the workforce. Recent studies and the American Association of Medical Colleges have raised concern that medical schools may not give sufficient instruction on this topic. Other authors have shown that preclinical instruction has increased over the past decade; however, it is unclear if required clinical instruction also has followed that trend.
Questions/purposes
The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the presence and duration of required or selective instruction in a MSK medicine specialty within the clinical years of undergraduate medical education; and (2) to assess the current state of requirements of clinical clerkships or rotations in other surgical and nonsurgical fields for comparison with the initial findings.
Methods
The web sites of all 141 US medical schools were assessed to determine the content of their clinical curricula for the 2014–2015 academic year; five were excluded because they had not yet had a graduating class by the conclusion of the 2014–2015 academic year. Complete information on required rotations was obtained through the schools’ web sites for all 136 (100%) medical schools. For selective experience during the surgery clerkships, complete information was available for 130 of the remaining 136 (96%) web sites.
