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Background Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is considered a human rights violation and is practiced all over the world. It has been used as a basis for seeking asylum in various countries, including in the USA since 1996, and the precedent‐setting matter of Kissindja. Clinicians in the USA and elsewhere who perform asylum evaluations may be called upon to evaluate women who seek asylum based on their FGM/C status or risk. In this manuscript, we provide expert‐informed best practices to conduct asylum evaluations based specifically on FGM/C. We review evidence‐based history taking, physical examination unique to the population of women and girls affected by FGM/C, and consider the evaluation in the context of trauma‐informed care. Conclusion Although general clinical skills often suffice to perform asylum evaluations, FGM/C represents a unique niche within the field of gynecological asylum evaluations and requires additional background knowledge and clinical competencies. Ethical approval As this is a clinical review and does not involve patients or research subjects no ethical approval was sought or was necessary.

This article describes the implementation and initial assessment of a training blog created within a family medicine department and used as a feedback mechanism for residents. First-year residents (n = 7) at a large private East Coast university hospital had an interaction with a patient recorded and posted to a training blog. The residents then watched this, and posted a reaction to their interaction with the patient. Within this reaction the residents offered self-reflection on the experience and were provided an opportunity to solicit advice from their colleagues to improve their communicative strategies and style. Once the reaction was posted to the blog, other residents watched the videotaped interaction, read the self-assessment written by the resident, and responded as part of their communication training. Content analysis of the messages suggests that the residents are socially skilled. They offer each other advice, provide each other with emotional and esteem social support, and use techniques such as self-deprecation in what appears to be a strategic manner. Perhaps most interesting is that they tend to identify the problems and difficulties they experience during patient-physician interactions in an apparent effort to deflect responsibility from the practicing physician. Patient challenges raised by residents included talkativeness, noncompliance, health literacy, and situational constraints.