title: Preliminary evaluation of junior medical students' exposure and comfort with performing the basic head and neck examination.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess junior medical students' comfort levels in performing the head and neck physical examination (H&NPE) and perception of the importance of otolaryngology--head and neck surgery (OTO-HNS) in medical training before and after undergoing a department-led teaching session.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anonymous cross-sectional survey study, before and after educational intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred one second-year medical students participated in an H&NPE teaching session as part of their preclinical curriculum. Students first watched a 25-minute H&NPE instructional video. Students then participated in lectures (90 minutes) on OTO-HNS subspecialties and faculty- and resident-led group H&NPE instruction (five to six students each, 90 minutes) with practice on student partners. Students rated their comfort levels (0-5 point Likert scale) in performing the H&NPE and the importance of OTO-HNS rotations throughout medical training before and after the session.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-five and 77 medical students completed presurveys and postsurveys, respectively. Before the teaching session, students reported an average comfort level of 2.1 in performing the complete H&NPE, which increased to 3.4 (P < .0001) after the session. Similar changes were observed for the individual ear, nose, mouth, and neck exams.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A specialized teaching session significantly improved medical students' comfort levels in performing the H&NPE and increased their awareness of the importance of OTO-HNS in medical training immediately after the session.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Irvine, Orange, California 92868, USA.
authors.forename: Edward C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Passy
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006257:Head; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck; D010036:Otolaryngology / Q000193:education*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult