scholarly journals Validity Evidence for the Medical Student Core Physical Examination

Author(s):  
Todd Guth ◽  
Yoon Soo Park ◽  
Janice Hanson ◽  
Rachel Yudkowsky

Abstract Background The Core Physical Exam (CPE) has been proposed as a set of key physical exam (PE) items for teaching and assessing PE skills in medical students, and as the basis of a Core + Cluster curriculum. Beyond the initial development of the CPE and proposal of the CPE and the Core + Cluster curriculum, no additional validity evidence has been presented for use of the CPE to teach or assess PE skills of medical students. As a result, a modified version of the CPE was developed by faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (UCSOM) and implemented in the school’s clinical skills course in the context of an evolving Core + Cluster curriculum. Methods Validity evidence for the 25-item University of Colorado School of Medicine (UCSOM) CPE was analyzed using longitudinal assessment data from 366 medical students (Classes of 2019 and 2020), obtained from September 2015 through December 2019. Using Messick's unified validity framework, validity evidence specific to content, response process, internal structure, relationship to other variables, and consequences was gathered. Results Content and response process validity evidence included expert content review and rater training. For internal structure, a generalizability study phi coefficient of 0.258 suggests low reliability for a single assessment due to variability in learner performance by occasion and CPE items. Correlations of performance on the UCSOM CPE with other PE assessments were low, ranging from .00-.34. Consequences were explored through determination of a pass-fail cut score. Following a modified Angoff process, clinical skills course directors selected a consensus pass-fail cut score of 80% as a defensible and practical threshold for entry into precepted clinical experiences. Conclusions Validity evidence supports the use of the UCSOM CPE as an instructional strategy for teaching PE skills and as a formative assessment of readiness for precepted clinical experiences. The low generalizability coefficient suggests that inferences about PE skills based on the UCSOM CPE alone should be made with caution, and that the UCSOM CPE in isolation should be used primarily as a formative assessment.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. e23-e31
Author(s):  
Judas Kelley ◽  
Jasleen Singh

Background Medical school ophthalmology education continues to be marginalized, creating the challenge of teaching students how to adequately diagnose and manage common ocular diseases in a limited time. Objective This study aimed to improve the ophthalmic medical knowledge and clinical skills of third-year medical students. Methods This curriculum was provided to 76 out of 124 third-year medical students in the 2016 class at the University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine program. It was a half-day session that incorporated lectures, problem-based cases, and clinical skills. Participating students were given a self-reflection survey on their knowledge at the beginning and end of the session. Participating students were given a pre-test and post-test 6 months later via SurveyMonkey. Another quiz was given to all students within the class. Comparisons of pre- and post-tests, pre- and post-surveys, and quiz results in the participating and nonparticipating groups were made. Results Participating students' mean pre-test score was 61.8% (n = 76) and post-test score was 72.3% (n = 47), p < 0.01, indicating a significant increase in knowledge. There was an increase in 2 points on the Likert scale of understanding in ophthalmology between surveys. Participating students received a quiz mean score of 61.2%, which was significantly higher than those in the nonparticipating group (54.3%), p < 0.05. Conclusion This session improved medical students' confidence and medical knowledge in ophthalmology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. e30-e35
Author(s):  
A. Marin ◽  
Joseph Brzezinski ◽  
Ram Nagaraj ◽  
Jasleen Singh

Objective To allow medical undergraduate students an exposure to ophthalmology in the preclinical years as well as introduce concepts of basic and clinical science in ophthalmology for medical students. Methods The 10-session elective was offered to 2nd year medical students in the fall of 2016 and to 1st and 2nd year medical students in the fall of 2017 at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The curriculum included a dissection laboratory, lectures, and journal reviews of key topics in ophthalmology with a basic scientist and clinician. At the conclusion of the sessions, the students evaluated this course by survey. Results Six medical students participated in the fall of 2016 and 11 students in the fall of 2017. The response rate was 83.33 and 100%, respectively. On a five- point Likert's scale, the students in both fall 2016 and 2017 rated the course as 4.7, indicating a positive reaction. Quality of learning objectives was rated as 4.4 and 4.5 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Course management had a score of 4.4 and 4.6 in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Comments included: “I learned a lot about the eye I would not have known if I had not taken the course,” “I enjoyed the interplay between the clinical and basic science experts,” and “I liked the model of learning about a subject then looking at the research [sic].” Conclusions Based on the students' responses and level of satisfaction, we concluded that the elective course was successful at increasing medical students' exposure to ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine while incorporating both basic and clinical science. Based on review of the students' feedback, modifications to the course included, expanding the course to 1st year medical students, limiting presentation times, simplifying presentation topics, and adding worksheets to guide article review sessions.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-129

ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS MEETINGS: The International Association of Enterostomal Therapists and the Southern California Para-urology Society will meet February 1-2, 1974, at the Sheraton Inn in Los Angeles. For information write Evonne Fowler, R.N., Department of Surgery, Harbor General Hospital, 1000 West Carson Street, Torrance, California 90509. NEWBORN RADIOLOGY SEMINAR: The University of Colorado School of Medicine will sponsor the second annual Newborn Radiology seminar, February 11-15, 1974, at the Given Institute of Pathobiology in Aspen.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1954 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 590-592
Author(s):  
GROVER F. POWERS ◽  
ALFRED H. WASHBURN

IN RECENT years much has been written about various aspects of medical education. I would hesitate to add another article to the literature were it not for a specific invitation from Dr. Grover Powers to contribute to his section in Pediatrics. This is a privilege and an opportunity which I welcome. For the past 65 to 70 years pediatricians have striven—and for the most part successfully—to establish in medical schools separate departments of pediatrics. They have argued that pediatrics was an important specialty. They have pointed out that the small infant is a very different sort of organism than the school child; and that the latter presents very different health problems than does the mature adult. They have demonstrated conclusively that anatomic structure, physiologic functioning and responses to disease, or to therapeutic measures, are all unique for particular age levels. The Child Research Council and the Department for the Study of Human Growth, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver.


Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (16) ◽  
pp. dev195735

ABSTRACTIn the developing spinal cord, progenitor cells sequentially give rise to motor neurons and precursors of one of the major glial cell types: oligodendrocytes. A new paper in Development unpicks the molecular control of the neuron-glia switch and the differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursors in the zebrafish embryo. To find out more about the work, we met first author and graduate student Kayt Scott and her supervisor Bruce Appel, who holds the Diane G. Wallach Chair of Pediatric Stem Cell Biology and is Professor and Head of the Section of Developmental Biology at the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1961 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-341

The essential information about the background and content of this book were provided quite satisfactorily on the jacket covering the book: The University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1953 initiated an outpatient faculty, called the General Medical Clinic, for the purpose of teaching and demonstrating the principles of comprehensive medical care to senior medical students. The senior class was therefore divided, with one half participating in the General Medical Clinic and the other half in the regular course of study. The Behavior Research Laboratory of the University then began a five-year research project designed to study the effects of the experimental program.


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