Introduction: Integrating medical students into their future working environment is of utmost importance in order to ensure a smooth transition from university life to clinical practice. In the German-speaking area, there has so far been no quantitative analysis of the extent or the quality of supervision received by medical students during their ward clerkship during their clinical studies in the specialist field of internal medicine.
Methods: In the summer of 2005, 161 medical students in their 6th and 7th semester undertook ward clerkships on internal wards at the University Clinic of Heidelberg and its academic hospitals. Using a questionnaire, a survey was conducted among these students about the intensity and quality of supervision received during their work on ward.
Results: Medical students working on the wards of academic hospitals were significantly more frequently co-supervised by senior physicians (p < 0.001), while a higher level of co-supervision by final year students was reported for the University Clinic (p < 0.001). Students supervised by final year students reported greater subjective learning outcomes (p < 0.001). However, this had no effect on the extent to which students felt integrated on the ward.
Discussion: Final year students play a central role in incorporating medical students into the ward routines of teaching hospitals. While they cannot replace instruction or supervision by a qualified physician, the promising potential of "peer-teaching" programmes should be utilized and junior physicians should be systematically prepared for and supervised in this important function.