Evaluation of a National Pediatric Subinternship Curriculum Implemented Through Individual Learning Plans.

Objective: The Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics and Association of Pediatric Program Directors developed a Pediatric Subinternship (CAPS) curriculum for use with an individualized learning plan (ILP). The authors determined which learning objectives (LOs) pediatric subinterns selected when provided the CAPS curriculum, summarized students' self-reported progress, and determined feasibility of ILPs in subinternship.

Methods: Students from 10 medical schools completed a standardized ILP during pediatric subinternship.

Assessment of medical student clinical reasoning by "lay" vs physician raters: inter-rater reliability using a scoring guide in a multidisciplinary objective structured clinical examination.

Background: To determine whether a "lay" rater could assess clinical reasoning, interrater reliability was measured between physician and lay raters of patient notes written by medical students as part of an 8-station objective structured clinical examination.

Methods: Seventy-five notes were rated on core elements of clinical reasoning by physician and lay raters independently, using a scoring guide developed by physician consensus. Twenty-five notes were rerated by a 2nd physician rater as an expert control.

Teaching patient communication skills to medical students: a review of randomized controlled trials.

Tools to examine the effects of teaching interventions across a variety of studies are needed. The authors perform a meta-analysis of 24 randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of teaching on medical students' patient communication skills. Study quality is rated using a modified Jadad score, and standardized mean difference effect size (d) measures are calculated.