End of First Year Assessment

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Assessment Objectives | Overview | Grading | What to Bring | Directions | Expectations of Students

In late April or early May, all first year medical students take an End of First Year Assessment (EOFYA) to evaluate their clinical skills. The purpose is to determine students’ ability to communicate with and examine patients at the end of the first year.

Assessment Objectives

The assessment objectives are to:

  • evaluate the students’ ability to interview and communicate with patients
  • assess the students’ ability to take a complete History of Present Illness
  • assess the students’ ability to perform two skills of the Physical Exam
  • gauge the students’ ability to synthesize data in the History of Present Illness
  • provide feedback to students on these clinical skills
  • measure the skills of the class as a whole such that individual and curricular deficiencies can be accessed
  • create the opportunity to experience a timed clinical skills examination that is similar to the End of Second Year Assessment (EOSYA), End of Third Year Assessment (EOTYA) and the USMLE Step 2 CS exam

Overview

The exam takes place at the Clinical Skills & Simulation Center. It draws on materials learned in Doctoring 1. There is one case played by standardized patients trained by the Medical Education faculty. Each student will be in the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center for approximately two hours on their scheduled day.

The schedule is as follows:

  • 20 minutes orientation and instructions
  • 17 minutes with patient to interview for HPI and do the instructed PE tasks
  • 10 minutes write-up
  • 10 minutes feedback from standardized patient
  • 5 minutes to evaluate EOFYA experience

Grading

Students taking the EOFYA will be graded on their performance in each of four skill areas:

  • Communication
  • Interview
  • Physical Examination (standardized patient and SimMan)
  • Write-up

First year students are required to take the End of First Year Assessment but do not have to pass it to be promoted to second year. Students will receive a letter with their scores and the mean scores for the class. Those who do not meet the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM standard will be required to meet with the Doctoring 1 course director to discuss the content of the exam and remediate as necessary.

What to Bring

Please arrive on time dressed to see patients.

Students need to:

  • Wear white coat with name tag or ID
  • Bring a pen
  • Wear/ bring a watch (No cellphones or other electronic devices)
  • Bring stethoscope
  • Bring blood pressure cuff (optional, they are in the rooms too)

PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANYTHING ELSE. There is no room to store belongings.

Directions

The Clinical Skills and Simulation Center (CSSC) is located in the basement of the Evans Building. Take the elevator or stairs down one flight and follow the signs to the CSSC.

Expectations of Students

Students will be expected to:

  • Introduce themselves to the patient and use the patient’s name
  • Use appropriate interview and communication techniques to conduct a patient centered interview and examination. (For example: start with a series of open-ended questions and gradually move to more targeted ones. Avoid medical jargon, show empathy where appropriate, use appropriate transitional statements, elicit the patient’s concerns etc.)
  • Obtain the History of Present Illness including the 7 Cardinal Features of the Symptom
  • Find out about the Past History, Medications, Allergies, Habits and Family History as it might pertain to the History of Present Illness
  • Wash Hands
  • Perform the parts of the Physical Exam as instructed at orientation
  • Attend to patient comfort throughout the examination
  • BRIEFLY summarize for the patient what you think might be going on
  • End the encounter appropriately
  • Type  guided write-up as instructed
  • Participate in feedback with standardized patient

Click to move to:
Assessment Objectives | Overview | Grading | What to Bring | Directions | Expectations of Students