Dataset Information

Early Pre-clerkship Clinical Skills Assessments Predict Clerkship Performance.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Assessment of medical students' clinical skills (CS) remains a challenge. Little is known about early predictors of future CS performance. This study examines the relationship between students' pre-clerkship clinical skills (PCCS) performance and year 3 clerkship performance measures.

Methods

The authors performed a retrospective analysis of four medical student cohorts who matriculated between 2014 and 2017 and participated in a longitudinal pre-clerkship CS curriculum. A total of 440 students were included in the analyses. Students' clinical skills were assessed through a series of PCCS exams, each consisting of a single standardized patient encounter. First-year PCCS exams assessed history taking, physical examination, professionalism, and communication skills; second-year PCCS exams also assessed clinical documentation and clinical reasoning skills. Evaluators assigned a grade of "satisfactory," "borderline," or "unsatisfactory" for each skill set. Regression analyses compared year 3 performance outcomes between students with one or more "unsatisfactory" or "borderline" PCCS skill set grades and students assessed as "satisfactory" for all PCCS skill set assessments.

Results

Thirty-two percent (n = 140) of the 440 students had at least one borderline or unsatisfactory (US) PCCS skill set grade. These students performed significantly worse on year 3 National Board of Medical Examiner subject exams, workplace-based clinical performance evaluations, and overall year 3 performance compared to students who passed all PCCS exam components. In addition, a higher percentage of students with PCCS performance deficiencies failed the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 CS exam on the first attempt versus students who passed all PCCS exam components.

Conclusions

PCCS exam performance at our institution aligned with future student performance on multiple year 3 clerkship outcome measures. This pre-clerkship performance data can be used to identify at-risk students who would benefit from additional resources to achieve competency in the clerkship environment and future medical training.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01519-8.

SUBMITTER: Strowd LC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8886335 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Early Pre-clerkship Clinical Skills Assessments Predict Clerkship Performance.

Strowd Lindsay C LC Gao Hong H Williams Donna M DM Peters Timothy R TR Jackson Jennifer J

Medical science educator 20220301 2

<h4>Introduction</h4>Assessment of medical students' clinical skills (CS) remains a challenge. Little is known about early predictors of future CS performance. This study examines the relationship between students' pre-clerkship clinical skills (PCCS) performance and year 3 clerkship performance measures.<h4>Methods</h4>The authors performed a retrospective analysis of four medical student cohorts who matriculated between 2014 and 2017 and participated in a longitudinal pre-clerkship CS curricul ...[more]

PMID: 35251766

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Project description:Multiple experts in clinical skills remediation recommend early identification to support struggling learners, but there is minimal documentation on implementation of these programs. We share one school's outcomes-based research utilizing the formative assessment for learning model to early-identify pre-clerkship students struggling with clinical skills using formative OSCEs (F-OSCE). Student scores were monitored over longitudinal F-OSCE experiences as part of a curricular innovation. Points towards early identification accumulated when a student's score fell below the 80% threshold for each section of an OSCE. Students who accumulated enough points were advised of the need for intervention, and coaching was recommended. Students were surveyed about their experiences with the program. The objective was to explore whether this early identification program and coaching intervention had a positive impact on subsequent OSCE performance. Of 184 students in 2 cohorts who completed F-OSCEs, 38 (20.7%) were flagged for early identification. Of these, 17 (44.7%) sought additional help by voluntarily participating in the coaching program. Students who participated in extra clinical skills coaching demonstrated statistically significant improvements in performance on subsequent FOSCEs, as did the early identified students who did not participate in extra coaching. The greatest impact of coaching intervention was noted in the physical examination domain. This program was effective in identifying students struggling with clinical skills on formative OSCEs. Early identified students demonstrated improvements in subsequent OSCE performance, with those who sought coaching faring slightly better. Development of robust early identification programs as formative assessments of clinical skills and follow-up coaching programs to guide skills development are important implications of this work. Monitoring short- and long-term results for students identified through this approach to see if improvement is sustained is planned.

Project description:BackgroundThe effectiveness of simulation-based training for skill acquisition is widely recognized. However, the impact of simulation-based procedural training (SBPT) on pre-clerkship medical students and the retention of procedural skills learned through this modality are rarely investigated.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted among pre-clerkship medical students. Learners underwent SBPT in venipuncture in the skills laboratory. Assessments were conducted at two main points: 1) immediate assessment following the training and 2) delayed assessment one year after training. Learner self-assessments, independent assessor assessments for procedural competency, and communication skills assessments were conducted in both instances. The students were assessed for their competency in performing venipuncture by an independent assessor immediately following the training in the simulated setting and one-year post-training in the clinical setting, using the Integrated Procedural Protocol Instrument (IPPI). The student's communication skills were assessed by standardized patients (SP) and actual patients in the simulated and clinical settings, respectively, using the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT).ResultsFifty-five pre-clerkship medical students were recruited for the study. A significant increase was observed in self-confidence [mean: 2.89 SD (Standard Deviation) (0.69)] and self-perceived competency [mean: 2.42 SD (0.57)] in performing venipuncture, which further improved at the delayed assessment conducted in the clinical setting (p < 0.001). Similarly, the IPPI ratings showed an improvement [immediate assessment: mean: 2.25 SD (1.62); delayed assessment: mean: 2.78 SD (0.53); p < 0.01] in venipuncture skills when assessed by an independent assessor blinded to the study design. A significant difference (p < 0.01) was also observed in doctor-patient communication when evaluated by SPs [mean: 2.49 SD (0.57)] and patients [mean: 3.76 SD (0.74)].ConclusionSimulation-based venipuncture training enabled students to perform the procedure with confidence and technical accuracy. Improved rating scores received at a one-year interval denote the impact of clinical training on skills acquisition. The durability of skills learned via SBPT needs to be further investigated.

Dataset Information

Early Pre-clerkship Clinical Skills Assessments Predict Clerkship Performance.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Supplementary information

Publications

Early Pre-clerkship Clinical Skills Assessments Predict Clerkship Performance.

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