Exam

Structure

The End of Third Year Assessment (EOTYA) is a six station clinical skills evaluation that is similar to the End of Second Year Assessment (EOSYA). Students interview and perform targeted physical examinations on standardized patients. They verbalize to the patients what they think is going on and offer a diagnostic work up and treatment plan. They may provide counseling to the patient, and at times they may be asked to interpret data. After the patient encounter, students enter their write-up online.

Feedback

After each interaction students receive feedback from the standardized patient. After at least one interaction a faculty observer (watching on closed-circuit TV) also provide feedback. At least half of the cases will be videotaped.

Upon completion of the EOTYA students receive a report comparing their performance to that of the overall class performance.

Anatomy of a Patient Encounter

Each patient interaction lasts 35 minutes. The time is divided as follows:

  • PATIENT INTERACTION (15 minutes) Read the opening scenarios (Pay close attention to any student tasks listed.)Interview +/- physical exam
  • WRITE-UP (10 minutes) Complete on-line post-encounter paperwork (PEP). The PEP is not usually a full write-up. There will be specific information requested. (See SAMPLE CASE)
  • FEEDBACK (10 minutes) A faculty person will observe each student at least once and will give direct feedback. Students will receive feedback from each standardized patient as well.

Clerkship Excuse

All third-year clerkship directors are involved in preparing cases for the EOTYA. They are aware that students will miss a day of their clerkship in order to take the assessment. Students should make sure that their preceptors are aware of their EOTYA date, but do not need to ask permission to leave the clerkship that day. Students should not take overnight call the night before the EOTYA. Likewise, students should not round on their patients the morning of the EOTYA. Students who feel pressured to do so should contact their clerkship director or Dr. Stanfield.

Ethics Form

Please review this ethics form before attending your EOTYA Session.

Click here to view the EOTYA Ethical Attestation Form.

What past students say they learned from the evaluation:

  • This is a learning opportunity, not just an evaluation (though I would not have believe it if you had told me that before hand).
  • The more open-ended questions I use the more information I obtain.
  • If an open-ended question yields some information, then you should follow it with another open-ended question.
  • Multiple questions should be avoided.
  • Summarization is useful.
  • Using transitional statements is useful.
  • It is useful to ask a patient about his or her concerns.
  • I know more medicine then I thought I did.
  • I should think about differential diagnoses while I am interviewing and examining the patient.
  • I was worrying more about the science but the patient was commenting on my way of communicating.
  • There is a tension between “connecting with the patient” and gathering data efficiently.
  • I do not come across the way that I think I do.
  • There is a natural tension between “following the thread” and conducting the interview in an orderly fashion.
  • I should always ask about family history and medications.
  • I found the feedback from the standardized patients to be constructive. In addition, they reinforced ways in which I do well.
  • I feel more comfortable taking the Step 2CS exam after having done the EOTYA.
Primary teaching affiliate
of BU School of Medicine