MED 7720 Clinical Skills III
Phase 3, Class of 2026
2023-2024

Assessment Plan
 
The assessment plan sets out the principles and key elements used to assess the learner’s performance in an accurate, consistent, and objective manner for MED 7720 Clinical Skills III.

MED 7720 Clinical Skills III has learners advance their assessment skills of patients who have chronic health issues. They will develop verbal and written communication skills required for patient-centered care.

Attendance at all Clinical Skills III sessions is required. (Please see the “Leave Policy and Clinical Skills” document on D2L).

COURSE SUCCESS CRITERIA
 
To pass the course, a learner must:

• Receive a pass as outlined below, or, if required, receive a passing grade following re-assessment,
• Complete all assessments by their due date,
• Attend all sessions as per the course requirements.

Exam and assignment deferrals will only be approved by the Phase Lead under exceptional circumstances, see Exam Deferral Policy.

Promotion regulations:

• Even if a learner has passed all examinations and assignments, a learner may be required to repeat the Phase or withdraw conditionally or unconditionally from the program (see section 10.5.3 in the University calendar) if there are significant concerns about a learner’s performance (as communicated to the learner by the Phase Lead). Examples may include, but are not limited to, late assignments without proper deferral process, lapses in professionalism, recurrent reassessment exams.
• As outlined in Section 10.5.2 of the Regulations for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine in the University calendar, learners with a Fail grade in any course cannot be promoted to the next Phase.
• As outlined in the MD program objectives, the Faculty of Medicine at Memorial University values professionalism as a core competency and a requirement of the MD program. Recognizing that medical learners are developing their professional identity, professionalism lapses will be remediated where possible and appropriate. Unsuccessful remediation will result in failure of the Phase. Professionalism lapses may render a learner incompatible with continuation in the MD program (as outlined in the Memorial University Calendar Regulation 10.5 Promotion).

OVERALL GRADES

A passing grade will be awarded if learners achieve:

1. Developing or above in the SAR write-up,
2. Developing or above in the summative witnessed physical, and
3. Competent in the Phase 3 OSCE.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

Learners will be assessed with both formative and summative assessments throughout the course via tutor assessments, witnessed physical examinations, and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Learners will receive their grades from the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) office via One45.

Original work, completed wholly by the learner, is expected to be submitted in this course. The use of an artificial intelligence tool like chatGPT is not permitted.

Formative Assessments do not count towards the final grade and are intended to help learners monitor their learning.  Formative assessment will consist of:

(a) Clinical Skills small group sessions consisting of ongoing informal feedback from tutors in regular small group Medicine, Pediatrics, Obs/Gyne, Psychiatry, Neurology and Surgery sessions throughout the Phase,
(b) Formative Assessment Records (FARs) consisting of summary assessment of patient encounters for various small group sessions, and
(c) Formative Witnessed Physical Exam (FWPE) consisting of written and oral comments following performance of a comprehensive physical exam on a standardized patient.

Written formative assessments will utilize the same internal grading scale that is used for summative assessments. Although formative assessments do not contribute to the year-end grade, they are designed to help the learner prepare for summative assessments and must be completed to pass the course.

Summative Assessments consist of:

(a) Phase 3 Summative Assessment Report (SAR) consisting of two written assessments of patient encounter and write-up in Medicine and Pediatrics,
(b) Summative Witnessed Physical Exam (SWPE) consisting of written assessment following performance of a comprehensive physical exam on a standardized patient, and
(c) Phase 3 OSCE

OSCE dates:
Phase 3 OSCE Study Day:  April 11, 2024
Phase 3 OSCE:  April 12, 2024
Phase 3 OSCE Reassessment: May 9, 2024

Clinical Skills is a Pass/Fail course on a learner’s transcript.  However, overall results for the individual components are expressed as follows:

Summative assessments

• SAR Write ups: Marked on the basis of four areas pertaining to the examination checklist using a four-point internal scale of exemplary, competent, developing, or unacceptable. Sample assessment forms are available on Brightspace (D2L).
• Summative witnessed physical examination (SWPE): Marked on a four-point internal scale of exemplary, competent, developing, or unacceptable. Sample assessment forms are available on Brightspace (D2L).
• Phase 3 OSCE: Marked as competent or unacceptable. 

Standard Setting for OSCE Examination

The provisional pass mark for OSCE examinations is 80%. A borderline regression method, a well-established standard-setting model in medical education, is used to set the cut-score for Competent/Unacceptable using the class results from each OSCE examination. The following criteria are used to determine competent/unacceptable status in the OSCE examination:

• Any learner getting a mark above 80% overall will receive a competent grade in the OSCE
• Any learner getting an overall mark at or above the pass mark as calculated by the borderline regression method and passing at least 7 out of the 10 stations will receive a competent grade in the OSCE
• Any learner getting an overall mark below the pass mark as calculated by the borderline regression method will receive an unacceptable grade in the OSCE
• Any learner failing more than 3 out of the 10 stations and getting an overall mark below 80% will receive an unacceptable grade in the OSCE

REMEDIATION AND REASSESSMENT

 Remediation and reassessment will be required if:

1. A learner receives an unacceptable grade in SAR write-up,
2. A learner receives an unacceptable grade in the summative witnessed physical, or
3. A learner receives an unacceptable grade in the phase 3 OSCE.

Remediation and reassessment take place following the Summative Witnessed Physical Examination and/or Phase 3 OSCE. Remediation and reassessment will be determined by the Clinical Skills committee chair based on the identified weaknesses. A learner may be re-assessed only once. Following the re-assessment, the learner will be given a final grade of pass or fail.

Version: June 13, 2023
Review by SAS: May 24, 2023
Approved by UGMS: June 21, 2023