MedEdPORTAL (Dec 2012)
Pediatric Clinical Rounds Teaching Guide: A Preclinical Curriculum to Improve Medical Student Comfort With Pediatric Patients
Abstract
Abstract Traditional medical school curricula lack significant opportunities for preclerkship medical student exposure to pediatric patients and problems. In response to students' demand for early, practical exposure to the field of pediatrics, an elective entitled “Pediatric Clinical Rounds” was originally developed more than two decades ago at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and has since been implemented as a course for second-year medical students. The course in its initial form lacked educational objectives and a well-defined organizational structure. As a result, specific course goals, objectives, and curricula have now been developed to address educational objectives appropriate to the preclinical medical student interested in learning about pediatric patients and problems. This module includes materials for the course modules, student handouts with/without answers, and a facilitator's guide, as well as an observer checklist and a course organization structure student handout example, both of which are optional to use. This curriculum may be implemented in part or in its entirety, depending on the needs of the training program, and can be modified according to the availability of instructors and pediatric patient populations. Students and instructors found implementation of the new Pediatric Clinical Rounds elective curriculum very successful in terms of delivery of educational content and organizational structure. Each student completed pre- and postcourse surveys, as well as pre- and postcourse observed patient encounters. Results of the surveys and patient encounters were analyzed for the purposes of curriculum improvement. While recognizing the limitations imposed by a small sample size of just six students, all enrolled students agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with their educational experience in this course, that the stated educational objectives for the course were met, that their self-identified learning goals for the course had been met, and that as a result of taking this course they had more confidence in interviewing and examining pediatric patients and felt that they had gained valuable skills in preparation for their third-year pediatric clerkship. Students' self-assessed level of comfort in interacting with children in a medical setting increased on average by 37 percentage points. In pre- and postcourse observed patient encounters, 100% of students elicited a chief complaint, obtained an HPI, and asked patients about pertinent past medical history. In all other observed areas of the pediatric history and physical, students demonstrated improvement after participating in the elective course.
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