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Assessment of clinical competence of medical students by using standardized patients with musculoskeletal problems
K J Connell1, J M Sinacore, F R Schmid
1Multipurpose Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611.
Objective:
To assess medical students' clinical competence in addressing musculoskeletal problems.
Methods:
Nineteen junior medical students completed 2 standardized patient-based tests structured to capture their clinical decisions from undiagnosed chief complaint to management.
Results:
No student approached the highest possible score on either test, and the students as a group received less than half the possible points on 5 important aspects of diagnostic reasoning.
Conclusion:
Standardized patient-based tests can be structured to provide enlightening information about medical students' clinical competence with regard to musculoskeletal problems.
