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New York, NY - June 30, 2008 - On two successive Fridays at the end of the semester recently, every third-year student at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) took part in the newly-instituted Capstone Assessment Program, spending nearly 20 minutes apiece in examination rooms at Foot Clinics of New York with each of two different standardized patients - actors trained to simulate particular disease states and to perform as a patient would during an exam. Each student took his or her patient's history, performed a physical examination, and reached a diagnosis of the complaint when possible.
The focus of the Capstone Assessment Program is on the process of interviewing and performing a physical exam, rather than on treatment. NYCPM faculty members Thomas M. DeLauro, DPM, Professor and Chair, Department of Podiatric Medicine, and Kevin T. Jules, DPM, Professor and Chair, Department of Surgical Sciences, each developed one of the two cases, and drew up a checklist of the minimum competent things students were expected to ask their patients about during the course of each of the two exams. Each standardized patient would then note and report back to the faculty examiners which and how many of these key things the student touched upon during the encounter.
This type of clinical assessment program is a standard method of assessing students in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools. This year, the program at NYCPM was essentially a trial run. In debriefing sessions several days later, students received feedback from the faculty as to how they performed during the assessment, but were not graded. In future years, third-year students will be required to pass the exam in order to be promoted to the fourth year.
Other NYCPM faculty members who participated in the CAPSTONE assessment were Michael J. Trepal, DPM, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean; Robert A. Eckles, DPM, Dean of Clinical Studies and Graduate Medical Education and Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Sciences; Loretta M. Logan, DPM, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Orthopedics and Pediatrics; Eileen D. Chusid, Ph.D., Dean and Associate Professor of Pre-Clinical Sciences, and Director of Institutional Research; Laurence J. Lowy, DPM, Dean for Student Services and Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Zev Leifer, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiological Sciences; Zhiyong Han, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Metabolic Sciences; Khurram Khan, DPM, Clinical Assistant Professor of Podiatric Medicine; and David Gitlin, DPM, Instructor of Surgical Sciences.
NYCPM staff who participated were Sandra Joseph, Tenee Hall, Denise Martell, Audrey Negron, Nakeema Reeves, and Claribel Salas.
The nine trained actors who served as the standardized patients were part of a team assembled by the C3NY, the Clinical Competence Center of New York, an educational organization offering medical schools, international medical graduates and doctors a variety of curricula geared to improving excellence in clinical and communication skills. Mark H. Swartz, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine and Vice President, Medical and
Professional Affairs at NYCPM, is the President/CEO of C3NY, and has worked with standardized patients for nearly two decades. He was assisted in the CAPSTONE case development by Anna Lank, the Managing Director of C3NY, who did the casting and training of the standardized patients. Ms. Lank is a theatre professional and a fifteen-year veteran in the standardized patient field.
Photo above: Thomas M. DeLauro, DPM (in white coat) conducts a training session for the standardized patients prior to NYCPM's newly-instituted CAPSTONE assessment.
New York College of Podiatric Medicine
The New York College of Podiatric Medicine, established in 1911, is the first and largest of the eight U.S. schools of podiatric medicine. Its clinical affiliate - Foot Clinics of New York - is the world's largest foot health center, recording nearly 30,000 patient visits a year. NYCPM has graduated more than 25% of all practicing podiatrists in the nation, and is at the forefront of podiatric care in terms of education, public awareness, government legislation and professional advancement. Visit the College's website at www.nycpm.edu and the website of the Foot Clinics at www.footclinic.org for more information.
