title: Last chance to observe: assessing residency preparedness following the 4th-year subinternship.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The subinternship is an integral part of the 4th year of medical school. There is little description of innovations aimed at assessing the preparedness and confidence of graduating students as they move on the next step in their training.
  
  
  METHODS
  An innovation including an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) at the conclusion of the subinternship was designed. We focused on key themes of transitions of care, communication within the health care system, and communication with patients and providers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A pre- and postsurvey addressed student self-perceived skill, confidence, and overall perception of importance. Improvement (p<.05) was seen across all themes from pre- to postsurvey, with more favorable scores on the postsurvey.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A subinternship innovation including an OSCE was feasible and had a positive effect on student assessment, perception and confidence. As the landscape of medical education evolves, assessing students' preparedness for residency will become increasingly imperative.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, Illinois 61605, USA. mmisch1@uic.edu
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mischler
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aldag
authors.forename: Meenakshy Kulathu
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Aiyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003142:Communication; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D009936:Organizational Innovation