Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-Led Musculoskeletal Workshops: Impact on Medical Students’ Clinical Skills and Interest in the Specialty

The time devoted to musculoskeletal (MSK) clinical skills in medical school curricula is often limited, with several studies reporting gaps in MSK clinical examination skills among medical students. Furthermore, there is a limited number of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) specialists in Canada which leads to infrequent exposure to PM&R during medical school and lower interest in PM&R as a career choice. With the goal of improving MSK clinical skills and awareness of PM&R, an annual, extra-curricular MSK clinical skill workshop was developed for second-year medical students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the workshops on the following: (1) MSK clinical skills, (2) understanding of PM&R as a medical specialty, and (3) career interest in PM&R. Consenting students completed three surveys before, after, and at 9 months post-workshop, and their composite score on the MSK portion of the year-end objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was compared to the class average. Participants’ (n = 60) confidence levels in their MSK clinical skills were significantly higher (p < 0.01) for all joint examinations post-workshop. The participants’ OSCE composite score was not significantly higher than the class average. The majority (75.0 %) reported an increased understanding of the role of PM&R, and 41.4 % reported increased interest in the specialty. Overall, the MSK workshops improved students’ confidence in their MSK clinical skills, enhanced their understanding of PM&R, and increased career interest in this “hidden” specialty. © 2016, International Association of Medical Science Educators.