Reflective Writing in the Internal Medicine Clerkship: A National Survey of Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Reflective writing programs have been implemented at many medical schools, but it is unclear to what extent and how they are structured. METHODS: We surveyed the 107 Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine member institutions on use of reflective writing assignments during the internal medicine clerkship. RESULTS: Eighty-six of 107 (80%) institutional members completed the survey. Thirty-five percent reported having a reflective writing assignment, 48% did not, and 6% did not but were considering starting one within the next 2 years. Of the 30 assignments, most were partially structured (60%), involved small-group discussion (57%), and provided individual student feedback (73%). A minority (30%) contributed to the students' grade. Respondents believed assignments contributed to students' learning in multiple domains, most often Professionalism (97%) and Communication (77%). CONCLUSIONS: Although reflective writing programs were common, variability existed in their structure. Further research is needed to determine how best to implement them.