Examination of the Shoulder

Abstract

Abstract According to the Medical Council of Canada's Objectives for the Qualifying Examination, upper extremity pain is the most common type of musculoskeletal pain after backache. Much of this pain is centered around the shoulder. This module is designed for students in the health professions and aims to provide a review of anatomy of the shoulder girdle as well as detailed description and illustration of physical examination techniques. A self-contained learning module that can be administered to students independently, it serves to introduce content related to the clinical assessment of patients with shoulder pain and dysfunction as well as providing a review of the learning for senior students, postgraduate trainees, or graduated physicians. The web-based delivery mode allows learners to access the resource at their convenience and permits them to self-pace their learning based on their comprehension of the material. Formative assessment with feedback is an integral part of the module, facilitating this process. Currently, the module is used in the first-year musculoskeletal course at Queen's University School of Medicine. Students use the module to prepare prior to a hands-on practice and debrief of their clinical examination skills. Students have been very supportive of this approach, reporting that the organized format, use of images and video, and formative assessment components are effective in supporting their learning of musculoskeletal physical examination.

Keywords

• Clinical Skills
• Physical Examination
• Upper Extremity
• Clinical Competence
• Orthopedics
• Shoulder