Psychomotor skills for the general professional education of the physician

To identify such a common core of psychomotor skills, a survey questionnaire was mailed to faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine and forty‐three skills were determined to be essential for mastery.

Abstract

Although concern about the clinical skills of medical school graduates is increasing, there is little consensus among faculty about what the essential clinical skills are for the general professional education of the physician. To identify such a common core of psychomotor skills, a survey questionnaire was mailed to faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Forty‐three skills were determined to be essential for mastery by more than 60% of respondents. These results were then validated by a committee of clerkship directors who refined the list to 28 skills that should be required for graduation. These data are being used to specify educational objectives and to design clinical performance examinations.