August 12, 2024-September 25, 2024
Course Director
Beth Bollinger, MD
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
bollingerba@upmc.edu
Course Director
Brianna Rossiter, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Medicine
rossiterbc@upmc.edu
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to provide a life-like learning environment in which medical students will be able to develop and practice effective medical interviewing skills.
Course Objectives
- Discuss the significance of the medical interview as a basic clinical skill
- Perform all components of a complete medical history
- Appropriately introduce oneself, set the stage, and establish rapport conducive to conducting an interview
- Create an inclusive environment for patients
- Use open-ended questions, listening, and facilitative responses which encourage and clarify the patient’s story
- Use appropriate questioning techniques, moving from open to closed-ended questions
- Employ empathy to encourage, support, and accurately understand the patient’s feelings
- Notice and interpret patient’s verbal and non-verbal cues
- Summarize the patient’s history for completeness and accuracy
- Use verbal transitions to move from one area of inquiry to another
- Utilize alternate approaches for data gathering when an interview is difficult
- Use skills which support exploration of sensitive areas in the medical history
- Recognize and apply principles of trauma-informed care
- Explore the patient’s concerns, beliefs, and reasons for seeking medical care
- Appreciate that our own implicit bias, beliefs and preconceptions may result in lack of objectivity in the interview
Evaluation
Evaluation for this course is based on attendance and preparation for all sessions, knowledge of content presented in the syllabus, and a final Clinical Interview Assessment (CIA) at the end of the course.
Requests for excused absences should be submitted via Elentra. Unexcused absences may result in grading penalties as outlined in the Policy on Absence and Attendance.