A Novel approach to teaching Pharmacotherapeutics learning by doing in a student-run clinic

Medical students should be better prepared for their future role as prescribers. A new educational concept to achieve this is learning by doing. This encompasses legitimate, context-based training and gives students responsibility as early as possible in their medical education. Student-run clinics (SRCs) are an example of this concept. We describe the development of a new SRC primarily focused on medical pharmacotherapy education, the learner-centered student-run clinic (LC-SRC), and its feasibility. A feasibility study was performed in which a team of (1st-, 3rd-, and 5th-year) students treated patients under the supervision of an internist. Patients were selected from the internal medicine outpatient clinic for follow-up in the LC-SRC. Feasibility was evaluated using a set of questionnaires for patients, supervisors, and students. In total 31 consultations were conducted; 31 students and 4 clinical specialists participated. A pharmacotherapeutic treatment plan was drawn up in 33% of the consultations. Patients were content with the care provided and rated the consultation with a 7.9 (SD 1.21) (range, 1–10). Supervisors regarded LC-SRC safe for patients with guaranteed quality of care. They found the LC-SRC a valuable tool in medical education, although it was time-consuming. Students appreciated their (new) responsibility for patient care and considered the LC-SRC a very valuable extracurricular activity. The LC-SRC is feasible and could be a valuable addition to the medical curriculum. The benefits and learner effects need to be investigated in a larger study with a longer follow-up.