| Developed by Robert A. Slaney, MD |
Mastery Rubric for the Clinical Officer Training Program
PURPOSE: To ensure realization of the expected outcome measures at the completion of the Training Program.
EXPECTED OUTCOME: It is expected that the student, upon completion of the Training Program, will be able to function as a competent independent medical provider within the scope of the granted licensure and credentials.
OUTCOME MEASURES:
Knowledge Base: Demonstration of an intimate knowledge of the basic sciences and
clinical medicine as it pertains to the understanding of the top 100 disease processes.
Clinical Acumen: Exhibition of the correct application of the acquired knowledge base in the diagnosis and treatment of disease processes as they present in a particular patient.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT BASED ON MASTERY RUBIC:
Utilization of Problem-based Learning (PBL) Format: It has been demonstrated that the PBL format for teaching medical students is superior to the traditional didactic model. The long-term retention of acquired medical knowledge and the early development of clinical acumen have been noted to be enhanced in the setting of PBL-based medical training curriculum.
Integration of the PBL model in the development of the medical training curriculum: In medicine, the best setting for the integration of the PBL model into a training program is the use of virtual patients and medical simulation. Virtual patients and medical simulations which closely approximate the knowledge and skills application that the student will need in a real-world practice setting have been shown to rapidly and effectively develop the desired clinical acumen. The PBL model combines the didactic and clinical aspects of traditional medical training into a dynamic process where the attainment of knowledge and skills is gained through the study of disease processes as they pertain to a simulated “real world” patient. Learning medicine in such a “clinical setting” has been shown to be superior to a didactic (classroom) setting in the long-term retention of medical knowledge and the development of effective clinical acumen.
Development of Medical Training Curriculum: In clinical practice, the Clinical Officer is confronted with patients who seek medical care based on the symptoms that they are experiencing. Symptom complexes can be caused by particular disease entities which usually overlap in prevalence. Disease entities usually have other findings on history and physical exam that represent a “classic” presentation of the disease. By being familiar with the symptom complexes and elements of history and physical exam that point to a particular disease or group of diseases, the Medical Assistant can develop what is referred to as a Differential Diagnosis. Differential Diagnosis is a list of diseases (in order of most prevalent) for which the presenting symptoms and elements of history and physical exam most closely align.
To have the medical student become familiar with the most prevalent diseases, the top 100 diseases are included in the development of 36 virtual patient cases which the student will study over an 18 month period. All aspects of the basic medical sciences (e.g. immunology, biochemistry, histology, pathology, etc.) are presented through these virtual patient cases in the form of case objectives.