Design And Implementation Of A Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship In The First-Year Curriculum At The Johns Hopkins School Of Medicine

In response to calls for medical education reform we designed and implemented a new Longitudinal Ambulatory Clerkship (LAC) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The LAC provides first-year medical students with their initial exposure to clinical medicine during a 12-month experience consisting of weekly clinic sessions with a practicing physician-mentor (preceptor) and longitudinal experience with a population of patients. The LAC allows students to experience firsthand many of the personal, professional, and organizational issues that impact the practice of medicine. This paper reviews the rationale, development, and challenges during implementation of this clerkship.