E2438. Surveying Medical Students on Impact of Incorporating Formal Radiology Teachings to Improve Performance on Third Year Clerkships and Step 2
Authors
Lauryn Brown;
George Washington School of Medicine
Emily Calabria;
George Washington School of Medicine
Sean Herman;
George Washington School of Medicine
Philip Olivares;
George Washington School of Medicine
Ramin Javan;
George Washington School of Medicine; George Washington University Hospital
Objective:
Identify importance of radiology education in medical school on preclinical, clinical clerkships, and United States Medical Licensing. Examination (USMLE) Step performance. Identify student preference for how to best incorporate radiology education in the medical school curriculum. Identify high yield subjects in the clinical curriculum to develop teaching modules.
Materials and Methods:
Two separate surveys assessing medical student perceptions on current radiology education were sent to preclinical and clinical students. Both groups were surveyed on which modalities they have been formally taught in their respective curriculums and how they wished to receive future radiology education. Preclinical students were polled on their perception of radiology importance for third year performance and USMLE Step exams. Clinical students were polled on the relevance of radiology for clerkship evaluations and USMLE Step 2 performance.
Results:
At the time of abstract submission, 37 preclinical students and 53 clinical students from the classes of 2026-2023 were surveyed. Of the preclinical students, all either agreed or strongly agreed that increased radiology education would be beneficial in preparation for clinical rotations, particularly for learning anatomy. In light of Step 1 going pass/fail (P/F), 98% of students agree that strong clinical evaluations will be of increased importance for a successful residency match. 100% of students agree Step 2 has become more important, with 83% strongly agreeing. For clerkship evaluations, imaging was more relevant for surgery with 81% in agreement compared to 66% for medicine, but with both deemed highly relevant. In regards to Step 2, 70% of students agreed more radiology education in the curriculum would have been beneficial for questions involving imaging. Both preclinical and clinical students expressed preference for having formal radiology training either incorporated into preclinical anatomy lectures or via asynchronous lectures from the radiology faculty. 81% of clinical students reported interest in receiving radiology training as part of didactic lectures during third year rotations.
Conclusion:
Evidence shows that student performance in medical school strongly correlates with performance on USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 examinations, two important metrics for the residency match. However, there are no current studies exploring how incorporating more formal radiology education into medical school curricula influences these outcomes. Further, nearly all respondents to our study anticipate that clinical evaluations and Step 2 scores will be more important for successfully matching into residency given the scoring change to Step 1. Our findings suggest that students are frequently asked to interpret imaging in medicine and surgery clerkships, and that their ability to do so impacts their clinical performance and preparation for Step 2. We demonstrate the need for integration of formal radiology training into the current curriculum through a qualitative needs assessment.
