title: Using peer-assisted learning to teach and evaluate residents' musculoskeletal skills.
abstract: Although direct observation and corrective feedback are established methods of increasing select aspects of residents' musculoskeletal (MSK) clinical skills, the evaluation and management of patients with MSK complaints remains an underemphasized part of internal medicine training. This paper reports on the development of an innovative peer-assisted learning (PAL) model to teach five MSK areas (back, knee, shoulder, neck, or hip pain). Based on data from 42 participating interns and 44 senior residents from an urban US academic medical center, results from an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) demonstrate gains in both knowledge and self-reported confidence in MSK skills. Moreover, subsequent focus group results reveal a strong preference for the PAL model. In conclusion, an educational module that utilizes the OSCE format holds much promise for teaching MSK skills to both intern and senior residents.
authors.affiliation: New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; jom9050@med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.affiliation: New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jalali
authors.affiliation: New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods*
keywords: OSCE; clinical skills; medical education; peer learning; physical exam