The Clinical Skills (CS) course spans the first eighteen months of school for all medical students. Students begin to develop and refine their clinical skills, the essential elements of “doctoring” that physicians use during patient encounters. In CS, students learn to communicate with patients, families, and other members of the care team; examine patients; develop clinical reasoning skills; and understand the important role of a medical student in a patient’s care. Students are also introduced to point-of-care ultrasound.
Throughout CS, emphasis is placed on taking a patient-centered approach to care. Students gain more experience with skills taught in CS through direct patient contact in Foundations of Patient Care. The Clinical Skills Program continues through the four-year curriculum with more advanced topics during the clerkship and elective years.
Multiple teaching modalities are utilized in CS, but the bulk of the experiences are designed to be hands-on, offering students the opportunity to develop clinical skills with direct faculty observation and feedback, frequently with the use of simulated participants (SPs).
Students receive formative feedback throughout the course from instructors, SPs, and peers. Students pass the course by attending all mandatory class sessions and performing a competent history and physical exam in a standardized assessment session at the UConn Clinical Skills Assessment Center.
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| Comp | EPO | Course Objective |
|---|---|---|
| HP | 1.2 | Apply principles of medical interviewing towards health maintenance, disease prevention, and patient counseling. |
| MTD | 2.1 | Recognize that relationship-centered interviewing is an evidence-based technique linked to improved diagnosis and treatment outcomes. Demonstrate an understanding of the anatomic and physiologic basis behind physical exam maneuvers. |
| CR | 3.1 | Utilize clinical reasoning principles, including probabilistic thinking and interpretation of history and physical examination findings, to formulate basic differential diagnoses and management, and therapeutic plans in simulated cases and clinical vignettes. |
| PC | 4.1 | Obtain a complete medical history, including discussion of personal issues and psychosocial factors that may impact health and illness experience. Perform a complete physical examination with proper technique and sensitivity to the needs of the patient. |
| 4.2 | Summarize a patient's case in both written and oral formats, including history, physical, assessment, and plan. | |
| 4.3 | Synthesize clinical information to construct a problem list in a simulated or real patient encounter. | |
| 4.4 | Demonstrate knowledge of the roles of the different health professionals in the care of patient, suggesting services and expertise that may benefit patients. | |
| 4.5 | Demonstrate an introductory understanding of mechanics and technique of point-of-care ultrasound. | |
| PR | 5.1 | Engage in self-reflection and group debriefing to develop healthy coping mechanisms and response to stress. |
| 5.2 | Incorporate reinforcing and constructive feedback and lessons learned from self-reflection into performance. | |
| 5.3 | Work effectively as an accountable, respectful, and welcoming team member, offering feedback to peers during clinical skills practice sessions. | |
| CM | 6.1 | Conduct an encounter in a patient centered manner using skills which enhance trust between student and patient. |
| RS | 7.2 | Reflect on the importance of cultural humility and demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness when communicating with individuals from diverse population groups. |
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Clinical Skills Director
Professor of Internal Medicine (General Internal Medicine) and of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics); Associate Dean for Education Technology and Innovation, Medical Education; Director of Clinical Skills, Office of Education; Associate Professor, Pediatrics; Editor, Yale Primary Care Pediatrics Curriculum, Pediatrics
Manager of Clinical Skills Program
Manager, Clinical Skills Program Office of Curriculum; Manager, Clinical Education Programs
Program Coordinator, Clinical Educational Programs; Program Coordinator, Office of Curriculum
Director of Physical Examination
Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine); Director of POCUS for Internal Medicine Residencies and Hospitalist Program, General Internal Medicine; Director of the YSM Physical Exam Course, Yale Medicine
Director of End of Life Skills
Professor of Medicine (General Medicine); Director, Medical Student Palliative and End-of-Life Care Education; Vice Chief for Clinical Affairs for the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine
Co-Director of Communication Skills
Associate Professor of Medicine (General Medicine); Head of Advisory House, Palade House, Office of Student Affairs; Director of Communication Skills, Office of Curriculum
Director of Point of Care Ultrasound
Professor of Emergency Medicine; Director, Point of Care Ultrasound Education, Office of Curriculum; Director, Advanced Training Period , Office of Curriculum; Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs, Emergency Medicine
Co-Director of Foundations of Patient Care
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine; Associate Residency Program Director, Emergency Medicine; MD Director- Foundations of Patient Care, Yale School of Medicine
Director of Clinical Reasoning
Assistant Professor; Director of Performance Improvement, Yale School of Medicine; Director of Clinical Reasoning, Yale School of Medicine; Associate, Educator Development in Teaching Clinical Reasoning, Teaching and Learning Center
Director of Standardized Patient Program
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine; Director of Interprofessional Simulation Director of Simulated Participant Program, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation
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