Medical Skills I

Catalog description

Introduces students to the skills needed to diagnose patient’s illnesses and equips students with the skills needed to interact effectively and compassionately with patients and their families. Through the Medical Skills course, students learn medical history taking, physical examination maneuvers, basic procedures (e.g., IV and catheter placement) and how to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings. Medical Skills is very closely integrated with the Scientific Principles of Medicine course and is organized by the Clinical Presentations assigned to each of the organ system units of that course. Medical Skills employs lectures, small group, and self-directed study methods. Medical Skills gives students opportunities to interact with trained standardized patients and high tech human body simulators which are designed to respond in physiologically appropriate ways in “real time”. Medical Skills is conducted in a state-of-the-art Clinical Skills and Clinical Simulation Center. By the conclusion of the four semester Medical Skills sequence, students will be prepared to conduct complete head to toe history and physical examinations. They will also be prepared to conduct appropriate focused history and physical examinations based on the patients’ presenting problem(s).