Pre-clerkship physical examination assessment rubric

Introduction The physical examination is a core competency in the training of pre-clerkship medical students. It is important to certify proficiency in the physical examination before students start their clinical rotations. Many institutions use home grown assessment tools for this purpose; however, there currently are no validated rubrics designed to assess the performance a head to toe physical examination by a pre-clerkship medical student. The goal of this study is to assess the reliability (inter-rater and intra-rater) of our institutionally developed rubric. Methods Clinical faculty with various levels of teaching experience watched videos of students doing a head to toe physical examination and scored the students using our assessment rubric. These scores were evaluated for intra-rater and inter-rater reliability. Results A total of 15 student videos were reviewed by five faculty members with varying levels of teaching experience. The degree of inter-rater agreement (between raters) for single and average measure was excellent and the degree of intra-rater agreement (same rater twice) for single and average measure was excellent. Discussion We conclude that our institutionally developed physical examination assessment rubric is a reliable means to certify proficiency in the physical examination before students start their clinical clerkships.