title: The required written history and physical is alive, but not entirely well, in internal medicine clerkships.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Effective written communication is a core competency for medical students, but it is unclear whether or how this skill is evaluated in clinical clerkships.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study identifies current requirements and practices regarding required written work during internal medicine clerkships.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2010, Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (CDIM) surveyed its institutional members; one section asked questions about students' written work. RESULTS were compared to similar, unpublished CDIM 2001 survey questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Requirements for student-written work were nearly universal (96% in 2001 and 100% in 2010). Only 23% used structured evaluation forms and 16% reported written work was weighted as a percentage of the final grade, although 72% of respondents reported that written work was "factored" into global ratings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite near universal requirements for student written work, structured evaluation was not commonly performed, raising concern about the validity of factoring these assessments into grades.
authors: Department of Medicine , Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. temple.ratcliffe@us.af.mil
authors: Temple A
authors: TA
authors: Ratcliffe
authors: Janice L
authors: JL
authors: Hanson
authors: Paul A
authors: PA
authors: Hemmer
authors: Karen E
authors: KE
authors: Hauer
authors: Klara K
authors: KK
authors: Papp
authors: Gerald D
authors: GD
authors: Denton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States