Rdesinski, Rebecca E.Chappelle, Kathryn G.Elliot, Diane L.Litzelman, Debra K.Palmer, RyanBiagioli, Frances E.2017-05-162017-05-162015-09Rdesinski, R. E., Chappelle, K. G., Elliot, D. L., Litzelman, D. K., Palmer, R., & Biagioli, F. E. (2015). Development and use of an instrument adapted to assess the clinical skills learning environment in the pre-clinical years. Medical Science Educator, 25(3), 285–291. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-015-0141-7https://hdl.handle.net/1805/12542BACKGROUND: The Communication, Curriculum, and Culture (C3) instrument is a well-established survey for measuring the professional learning climate or hidden curriculum in the clinical years of medical school. However, few instruments exist for assessing professionalism in the pre-clinical years. We adapted the C3 instrument and assessed its utility during the pre-clinical years at two U.S. medical schools. METHODS: The ten-item Pre-Clinical C3 survey was adapted from the C3 instrument. Surveys were administered at the conclusion of the first and second years of medical school using a repeated cross-sectional design. Factor analysis was performed and Cronbach's alphas were calculated for emerging dimensions. RESULTS: The authors collected 458 and 564 surveys at two medical schools during AY06-07 and AY07-09 years, respectively. Factor analysis of the survey data revealed nine items in three dimensions: "Patients as Objects", "Talking Respectfully of Colleagues", and "Patient-Centered Behaviors". Reliability measures (Cronbach's alpha) for the Pre-Clinical C3 survey data were similar to those of the C3 survey for comparable dimensions for each school. Gender analysis revealed significant differences in all three dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The Pre-Clinical C3 instrument's performance was similar to the C3 instrument in measuring dimensions of professionalism. As medical education moves toward earlier and more frequent clinical and inter-professional educational experiences, the Pre-Clinical C3 instrument may be especially useful in evaluating the impact of curricular revisions.en-USPublisher PolicyEvaluationPatient-Centered CarePreclinical curriculumProfessionalismArticle