Medical subinternship: Student experience on a resident uncovered hospitalist service

Background: Studies demonstrating the value of hospitalists to medical student education have been performed in traditional resident covered ward service settings (RCWS). Purpose: To compare medical subinterns' experiences on an RCWS to that on a resident uncovered hospitalist service (RUHS). Methods: We assessed students' overall experience and knowledge learned on the two services using a 5-point Likert scale. We also assessed learning environment characteristics, workload, and time spent at the hospital on each service. Results: The mean rating for knowledge learned was higher on the RCWS. Subinterns rated the two services equivalent on measures of educational value of patient problems, faculty assessment, supervision, and number and value of teaching sessions. The RCWS received higher ratings on variety of patient problems and frequency of intellectual discussion. Conclusions: The RCWS provided a superior learning experience for subinterns. Academic medical centers should take these findings into consideration before placing medical students on an RUHS.