A multifaceted intervention improved medical student oral case presentation skills. Although participants noted barriers that need further attention, we demonstrated modest improvement in student performance.

BACKGROUND:Little is known about the expectations of undergraduate internal medicine educators for oral case presentations (OCPs). OBJECTIVE:We surveyed undergraduate internal medicine educational leaders to determine the degree to which they share the same expectations for oral case presentations. SUBJECTS: Participants were institutional members of the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (CDIM). DESIGN:We included 20 questions relating to the OCP within the CDIM annual survey of its institutional members. We asked about the relative importance of specific attributes in a third-year medical student OCP of a new patient as well as its expected length. Percentage of respondents rating attributes as "very important" were compared using chi-squared analysis.RESULTS: Survey response rate was 82/110 (75%). Some attributes were more often considered very important than others (p<.001). Eight items, including aspects of the history of present illness, organization, a directed physical exam, and a prioritized assessment and plan focused on the most important problems, were rated as very important by >50% of respondents. Respondents expected the OCP to last a median of 7 minutes.CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate internal medicine education leaders from a geographically diverse group of North American medical schools share common expectations for OCPs which can guide instruction and evaluation of this skill.

The lower crude Pap smear rate for Haitian immigrants relative to other women of color was in part due to differences in (1) utilization of a single source for primary care, (2) health insurance, and (3) care provided by female physicians. Public health programs, such as the cancer prevention programs currently utilized in eastern Massachusetts, may influence these factors. Thus, the relatively high Pap rate among women in this study may reflect the success of these programs. Public health and elected officials will need to consider closely how implementing or withdrawing these programs may impact immigrant and minority communities.

Internal medicine clinician teachers from 5 U.S. medical schools share common expectations for OCPs.