Early clinical exposure: Dynamics, opportunities, and challenges in modern medical education

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Applications of early clinical exposure (ECE) are wide‑ranging and reflect the important role that ECE plays in medical education. This review article aimed to highlight the dynamics, opportunities, and challenges of ECE in medical education. STUDY METHODOLOGY: This review article was conducted through a comprehensive search of electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google search engine. The keywords used for the search were “early clinical exposure,” “medical education,” “clinical skills,” “patient contact,” and “medical students. The inclusion criteria for selecting the articles were that they should be written in English, peer‑reviewed, and provide insights into the dynamics, opportunities, and challenges of ECE in medical education. RESULTS: ECE allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the patient experience, and to develop empathy and a patient‑centered approach to care. ECE can also help to improve recruitment and retention of medical students, by providing a more engaging and rewarding learning experience. CONCLUSION: ECE is a promising teaching method that has the potential to improve clinical skills and patient outcomes. However, it also poses some challenges that must be addressed to ensure its effective implementation.