The following clinical skills checklists are appropriate for meeting course objectives in FMS 501–503, then FMS 511–513, and to meet year 1–2 milestones toward the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine graduation competencies. Please note that the included lists are not comprehensive and do not reflect everything you need to know as a trainee or physician in a particular area. The checklists are to assist you in understanding the depth and level expected as you develop your clinical skillset and in assessments of your clinical skills (i.e., Objective Structured Clinical Examinations [OSCE]) in years 1–2 of the College of Medicine curriculum.
For example, you may be asked, in a clinical environment or in an OSCE station, to “proceed into the room and conduct a focused history. When you are finished, tell the patient that you will step out to discuss with the attending physician/your preceptor.” Or, you may be told that the history has been completed, and you will be given any necessary details about chief complaint, brief history, etc., and asked to “perform a respiratory examination.” As you advance, OSCEs that test your clinical skills will become more complicated and even more relevant to clinical practice. You may see a patient with a cough, need to determine the appropriate focus for your physical examination, and interpret (for example) a chest radiograph.
Upon entering the room, introduce yourself, wash/sanitize your hands, and ask the patient’s permission to proceed. Explain to the patient what you are doing as you go (“I am listening to your lungs.”), and relay any findings as you are able. When you have completed the task(s) you have been asked to do, always thank the patient, wash your hands, and exit or otherwise end the encounter.
How to Use This Guide for Clinical Environments and Osce Preparation
Use the checklists provided as your “study guides” for stations that require history and physical examinations. That is, if you are asked to do a respiratory examination, your assessment will be based on your ability to remember and apply that section of the Physical Examination checklist. Your assessor will not be expecting techniques or maneuvers that are not on the checklist. You may not bring checklists or other notes with you into the OSCE station room. You should still learn additional maneuvers and techniques, as you may be assessed on them later. You will use all of them as a practicing physician. This guide is not meant to be a “Cliffs Notes for the OSCEs,” but rather a memory aid for all the clinical skills you are learning in the Art and Practice of Medicine.
Should you have any questions as we continue to refine the clinical skills education and assessment process, please contact:
Laura Fralich, MD
Year 1 APM Director
Janet Walker, MD
Year 2 APM Director
Checklists
Cohort Resources
References
- Bates’ Visual Guide to Physical Examination, 5th edition.
- Bickley L, Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, 12th edition.
- Goldberg C, University of California San Diego School of Medicine Practical Guide to Clinical Medicine; last accessed April 24, 2018.