Clerkship Grading Standards

Clerkship Grading Standards

Your clerkship grade will be comprised of the following components:
(Click on a link or scroll down to see description of each item)
Preceptor Evaluation 50%
Shelf Exam
40%
Participation in Morning Report and Workshops 5%
Take home EBM exam 5%

Students are also expected to keep the Required Logs and complete final course evaluations (Follow link to online evaluation forms).

 

Preparing for the Family Medicine NBME Exam:

1.  Blueprints for Family Medicine and questions at the end.  These questions are probably easier than the shelf exam questions but make a good start.

2.  "Family Practice Board Review" by Robert Bratton.

3.  "Family Practice Examination and Board Review" by Jason Wilbur.

4.  USMLE practice questions on the Family Medicine Clerkship website.  Can print and take home.

5.  Boards and Wards (outpatient, peds and medicine sections).

6.  First Aid USMLE. Step 2.


Preceptor Evaluation

The preceptor will be asked to consider and comment on your performance in the following areas:

Core Family Medicine Principles:
  • Identifies ways in which family, culture, and community affect patient health and behavior
  • Obtains a complete family/social history
  • Educates patients about health promotion/disease prevention
  • Identifies appropriate community resources for patients and their families
Interpersonal Relationships:
  • Utilizes effective listening skills when interacting with patients
  • Demonstrates sensitivity and respect to patients and their families
  • Develops effective working relations with the office staff
Clinical and Procedural Knowledge:
  • Applies medical principles and pathophysiology related to medical problems commonly seen in a Family Medicine setting
  • Conducts a focused patient history
  • Conducts a focused physical exam
  • Provides accurate, complete, and organized case presentations of patient encounters
Problem Solving Skills:
  • Collects relevant patient data
  • Develops differential diagnosis and describes the rationale for the diagnosis
  • Applies findings of diagnostic tests to the health care management of the patient
  • Develops a management plan related to medical problems commonly seen in a Family Medicine setting
Professional/Personal Characteristics:
  • Demonstrates an eagerness to learn
  • Responsive to feedback and evaluation
  • Prepared for scheduled activities
  • Demonstrates initiative in becoming involved with activities of the practice
  • Demonstrates responsibility for patient care

Final Exam

The exam, which is in paper form will be taken in the Health Sciences Library computer classroom. This consists of questions that relate to diagnoses and management of conditions commonly seen in Family Medicine. It is the National Board of Medical Examiners shelf exam. A description of the typical content may be found at http://www.nbme.org/Schools/Subject-Exams/Subjects/clinicalsci_family.html.  This exam counts for 40% of your clerkship grade.


EBM Take Home exam

The point of Information Mastery is to ensure doctors look up reliable information at the point of care and practice the best possible medicine.  These skills reduce guessing, over-reliance on marketing or experts, and feeling overwhelmed at memorizing everything.  This exam consists of ten multiple choice questions, many with an opportunity to write a short explanation for which credit may also be given.
 
The exam tests the material presented in the Information Mastery workshop and handout: using clinical decision support tools, understanding levels of evidence (grading of information), assessing the reliability or sources, describing the importance of systematic reviews, and applying the POEM concept (patient-oriented evidence that matters) and the Usefulness concept (usefulness = validity * relevance / work).  Students typically spend 1-2 hours completing this exam. This exam counts for 5% of the clerkship grade.

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Participation in Morning Report and Workshops:  You will be expected to actively participate in the two morning report sessions and in the workshops.


Students are also expected to keep track of the patient encounters in the Oasis Requirement Checklists and complete final course evaluations (follow link to online evaluation forms).

Student Handbook Links:
| Handbook Home| Student Responsibilities | Goals & Objectives|
| Log Details | Grading | Preceptor's Role |
| Maximize your experience | References |