A cancer screening skills laboratory for medical students

At St. Louis University School of Medicine a 15-hour Integrated Oncology Module is part of the required second-year Introduction to Medicine course. In place of a one-hour lecture in the module, a required one-hour laboratory was introduced to teach cancer screening as a means of secondary cancer prevention. This activity follows completion of the Introduction to Physical Diagnosis course. The laboratory utilized anatomically correct models to instruct students in fundamental screening procedures for cervical, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Emphasis was placed on a professional interaction with the patient. The Cancer Prevention Laboratory sessions were conducted by registered nurses with specialized training in cancer screening. The Socratic method was employed by the instructors as each of 157 students moved through a series of stations screening appropriate models. The student described the procedure as it was performed, and answered questions pertinent to the activity. The instructors assessed performance using a checklist developed for this purpose. Questions relative to secondary cancer prevention and proper physical detection of cancer appeared on the final exam of the Integrated Oncology Module. One hundred fifty-seven students completed the screening laboratory. Four nurse instructors were employed at each session. Thirty-nine hours were required for all students to complete the lab. Student critique of the activity was overwhelmingly positive, particularly in the acceptance of the registered nurse instructors. Eighty-six percent of the 157 students reported that the teaching methodologies used by the nurses were excellent. The nurses were also perceived as knowledgeable and nonthreatening.