Integrating basic sciences and clinical skills: a thread of Clinicopathological Correlations in a Clinical Skill...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pathology
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Medical curricula often lack explicit integration of pathophysiology into clinical skills (CS) courses.
• Effective integration of basic sciences with clinical practice is crucial for developing competent physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a structured six-step process for integrating clinicopathologic correlations (CPCOR) into CS courses.
• To evaluate the impact of CPCOR on medical students' clinical reasoning and translational curiosity.

Main Methods:

• A six-step CPCOR process was developed, including learning objectives, pre- and post-encounter small group activities, and large group discussions.
• A Pathologist-Clinician team facilitated student-centered discussions linking clinical cases to underlying pathology.

Main Results:

• The CPCOR process enhanced students' clinical reasoning skills.
• It reinforced the importance of understanding the pathologic basis of clinical findings.
• The process also augmented lifelong learning skills.

Conclusions:

• Effectively designed CPCOR sessions in CS courses improve clinical reasoning and translational curiosity.
• This streamlined CPCOR process is adaptable to various medical school curricula for enhanced integration.