The Clinical Skills program is an undisputed strength of our curriculum, providing weekly hands-on opportunities to put pen to stethoscope. The program spans the entirety of pre-clerkship, giving you extensive training in integrating your classroom knowledge with the practical skills of medicine. By the end of first year you'll know how to perform a full history and physical. As for equipment and dress code, you can check out the “What to Buy” section of our website.
Term I
During Term I, clinical skills is held weekly with your two tutors in groups of 6 students to learn the interpersonal and technical skills of clinical medicine. Each week will cover a different aspect of patient interaction: communication and interviewing skills first, then the examination of particular body (e.g. cardiovascular exam, respiratory exam). You will practice your skills not only on each other, but also on standardized patients (SPs) who are community members trained to act out a particular patient role. These sessions are held in the SOMB building, and rooms are set up in pods to simulate real-clinic experiences.
Term II
By January, you will be well equipped to do a full history and physical exam. In Term II and onwards, you will have the opportunity to see real hospital patients at Kingston General Hospital alongside SPs, and learn technical skills, like suturing and casting. There are also more opportunities with standardized patients and sessions giving exposure to particular areas of medicine like adolescent medicine, developmental assessment (with toddlers!) and psychiatry. You will also learn how to do detailed and focused physical exams, case write-ups, and case presentations to practice communication.
Clinical Skills is evaluated using an OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam). It’s a station-based exam in which you are given a clinical scenario and have to perform the appropriate task in a given time, such as taking a history or performing a focused physical exam. Although it may sound daunting, don’t despair - you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice.