Clinical Skills Assessment

The learning of high quality clinical skills is a priority for USF Health. We have developed a standardized patient program to assist in the teaching and testing of clinical skills through out the curriculum program.

Specific Programs

• The Professions of Medicine
  Standardized patients assist with the learning of physical exam skills during the first three weeks of medical school in the Profession of Medicine course.
  
  
• Physical Diagnosis
  Standardized Patients are widely used during this course to assist in the teaching and assessment of communication skills, history taking and physical examination. Students complete a full history and physical (H/P) on a Standardized Patient while being filmed so that they can review their performance.
  
  
• Observed Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE)
  In concert with the College of Nursing, the students complete a nine station OSCE to assure core skills are mastered prior to entering their clerkship year.
  
  
• Clinical Performance Exam (CPX)
  The student will sit for a mini-CPX following the completion of the following clerkships during their third year: MedPeds, NeuroPsych, Surgical Care, and Ambulatory Care. These mini-CPX exams will be similar to their end of the year CPX in structure and content. They will, however, be a shortened version of the end of year CPX, which will be a ten station multi-content examination with Physical Examination Questions (PEQs) that will be similar in content to those that are included in the National CS exam each student takes prior to completing their fourth year of school.
  
  
• Video History and Physical Program
  During the months of June, July and August of the Med IV program, each student will complete a comprehensive history and physical on a Standardized Patient and then sit for a review of this performance with a faculty member of USF Health.
  
  
• Simulators
  The Center for Advanced Clinical Learning has begun to incorporate simulators into many of the teaching and examination sessions for all four years of the Medical School curriculum. Harvey is a state of the art Heart Sound Simulator, teaching cardiac exam skills in each year. STAN is an outstanding medical simulator, used to enhance the student's clinical experience of disease management at every stage of the curriculum.