Integrating Basic Science into Endocrine Clinical Electives.

Practical and effective methods to integrate basic science material into clinical electives are lacking. We developed a primer for medical students participating in an ambulatory endocrinology elective highlighting pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and management of disorders. Students felt better prepared for the elective and mean scores on the endocrine knowledge test improved (7.5 (SD = 2.4) to 9.6 (SD = 2.2), p  < 0.001). The endocrine primer required minimal faculty time and resources while integrating basic science information into a clinical elective, standardizing students' knowledge, and enhancing student satisfaction with the elective. This innovative primer lays the groundwork to expand to other specialty electives and institutions.