When Should Students Learn Essential Physical Examination Skills? Views of Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors in North America

Abstract

Variability existed among CDIM members regarding their expectations for the timing of student physical examination learning in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Creating a common vision among clerkship directors and faculty regarding what neophyte clinicians must learn to do and when they are expected to be able to do it will help to address the issue of physical examination proficiency standards of medical students.

Ready or not? Expectations of faculty and medical students for clinical skills preparation for clerkships

“…While transparent statements in educational settings about expected competencies are important, there is little formal guidance about which competencies early clinical-skills training should focus on and to what extent (5–7). Since learning occurs by the construction of new knowledge and skills on prior knowledge and skills (8, 9), the objectives of preclinical skills development are optimally correlated and aligned developmentally with basic clerkship goals.…”

Emphasizing High Value, Cost-Effective Care in Physical Examination Instruction – A Qualitative Content Analysis of Interviews with Expert Educators

“…On the other hand, our work aligns with recent efforts to streamline clinical skills curricula by establishing a core curriculum [Gowda et al, 2014a] and determining optimal timing for introducing more advanced skills. [Corbett et al, 2008b;Harin et al, 2013] Finally, our work suggests that trainees should learn clinical skills from instructors versed in both bedside diagnostic skills and HVC; as reflected by our experts' perspectives, teachers adept in clinical reasoning would fulfill this role.…”

Implementation of an Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) into Orthopedic Surgery Residency Training

“…Most literature on the topic addresses the issue at the undergraduate or medical student level, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] looking at how to incorporate musculoskeletal education in general within a training program. There have been some studies showing the effectiveness of computerbased modules in teaching various aspects of the musculoskeletal physical examination, [8][9] as well as the use of trained patients as teachers 10 and interprofessional teaching 11 for core skills in medical students.…”