Abstract
Background: Clinical rotation scores have been reported to predict resident performance. However, the reporting of clerkship grades varies widely across institutions. The authors explored the correlation of an institution’s reputation and the percentage of students receiving honors. Methods: During the review of applicants for orthopaedic residency, the percentage of students receiving the highest grade in the surgery and internal medicine clerkships was recorded for each institution. The authors then compared published institutional rankings with the proportion of students awarded honors in these clerkships. Results: One hundred nineteen institutions were reviewed. There was poor correlation between the institutional rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Doximity and the percentage of students receiving top grades in surgery (r = -0.07 and -0.07), internal medicine (r = -0.19 and -0.19), or overall class standing (r = -0.01 and -0.06). Conclusion: The authors found that the variation in the percentage of students receiving the highest grade in clinical clerkships is not associated with an institution’s reputation. They recommend that clerkship score reporting be standardized and that clerkship grades not be used to compare students across institutions.
Recommended Citation
Speight Grimes, Jerry. "The Effect of Institutional Reputation on Clerkship Grades." Western Journal of Orthopaedics 15, 1 (2026). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/wjo/vol15/iss1/8