The clinical experience in medical education: past, present, future.

In the nineteenth century, clinical education in the United States was entirely didactic. Medical students attended lectures all day and were expected to commit the many details to rote memory. In the modern era, the clinical clerkship transformed students from passive observers to active participants in the learning process. In addition, the internship and residency provided learners the opportunity to assume responsibility in patient care. The strength of this clinical experience depends not only on the will of medical faculties but on the quality of the hospital learning environment.