Academic Achievement and Primary Care Specialty Selection of Volunteers at a Student-Run Free Clinic

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have reached conflicting conclusions about the associations between service and academic achievement and service and primary care specialty choice. Purposes: This study examines the associations between service at a student-run clinic and academic achievement and primary care specialty choice. Methods: Retrospective review of medical student service and statistical analysis of grade point average (GPA), Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) scores, and specialty choice were conducted, as approved by our Institutional Review Board. Results: Volunteers, compared to nonvolunteers, had higher GPA (3.59 ± 0.33 vs. 3.40 ± 0.39, p < .001), Step 1 (229 ± 19 vs. 220 ± 21, p < .001), and Step 2 CK (240 ± 18 vs. 230 ± 21, p < .001) scores, but did not pursue primary care specialties at a significantly higher percentage (52% vs. 51%, χ² = .051, p = .82). Conclusions: Further exploration of the associations between service and academic achievement and primary care specialty choice is warranted.

Keywords:

• service learning
• student-run free clinic
• primary care

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Dr. Alicia McClary, Ph.D., for her dedication to Clinica Esperanza, as the clinic would not have been created or sustained without her support. We also acknowledge our volunteer clinical faculty: Dr. James Lewis, Dr. Bruce Steinhauer, Dr. Patricia Adams-Graves, and Dr. Keith Ellis. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the generosity of Christ Community Health Center in Memphis, TN, as they continue to volunteer their facility and resources for our use.