Development and Pilot Testing of the Young Clinician Program: A Structured Experiential Learning Model for Early Exposure to Emergency Care in Phase II Medical Education

Background Traditional undergraduate medical education often delays meaningful clinical exposure until later years, limiting the integration of paraclinical knowledge with real-world patient care. Experiential learning has emerged as effective educational strategies to bridge this gap. The Young Clinician Program (YCP) was developed as a structured observational curriculum integrating early exposure to emergency care into the Phase II MBBS curriculum through supervised hospital-based learning experiences. On this background the study planned to develop and pilot test a structured experiential learning module incorporating observation-based learning, guided interaction, reflection, and supervised clinical assistance for II Professional Year MBBS students for the integration of paraclinical knowledge with real-world patient care. Methods The YCP was developed as observation-based learning based on Kern's six-step approach, Kolb's experiential learning theory, and employed an Observe–Interact–Assist framework. Students underwent supervised postings in Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Units, and Toxicology settings. Program evaluation was conducted using reflective logbooks, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) using a semi-structured guide. Pilot testing was carried out among a group of 40, II Professional Year MBBS students at Madras Medical College. Results Students reported improved integration of Pathology, Pharmacology, and Microbiology with clinical practice, enhanced clinical reasoning. Emergency and ICU postings were perceived as highly valuable for understanding acute care, realities of clinical medicine, including rapid decision-making, and professionalism. Early exposure to emergency and critical care settings also provides opportunities for learners to appreciate the teamwork, empathy, communication, and ethical conduct. Major challenges identified included clinical readiness, faculty orientation, curriculum adaptability within dynamic clinical environments, and equitable learner exposure, leading to refinement of the module Conclusions The Young Clinician Program demonstrated feasibility and acceptability as an early experiential learning model in undergraduate medical education. The YCP may serve as a scalable model for competency-based early exposure to emergency care programs.