Purpose
Medical school curriculum prepares future physicians with essential clinical knowledge and skills. The preclinical phase focuses on foundational sciences, while the clinical phase consists of clerkship rotations. Transitioning between phases may be challenging, as students may feel unprepared or must be prepared for the clinical reasoning tasks presented during clerkship. To address this challenge, many schools have implemented Problem-Based Learning (PBL), a collaborative approach that fosters critical thinking. Integrating a PBL program that incorporates clinical reasoning practice into the preclinical years may help students excel in clerkship rotations and their future careers.

Method
This project, conducted at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine (UNLV), involved third-year medical students who participated in PBL in their pre-clinicals. A written survey was administered to quantify students' preparedness for their clerkship rotations. The majority of students met eligibility criteria, having completed at least one core clerkship rotation.

Results
The students surveyed agreed that PBL prepared them for integral clerkship skills including formulating a broad and relevant differential, being a productive team member, and seeking/applying feedback. Additionally, students strongly believed the PBL curriculum improved their ability to identify psychosocial factors that influence decisions and care plan options. However, they felt least prepared to articulate the mechanism of action for treatment options.

Conclusion
Medical schools that incorporate PBL into their curriculum to teach clinical reasoning may equip students for a smooth transition into clerkship. This learning tool enhances preparedness for clerkships by providing valuable skills and fostering better clinical understanding. These findings may support the implementation of a PBL-based curriculum in medical school education in order to promote an increased level of preparedness for medical students in their transition to clerkship rotations.