Clinical Competency Skills: A Reference Manual - Softcover

Athreya, Balu

9781601450388: Clinical Competency Skills: A Reference Manual

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1601450389 ISBN 13: 9781601450388

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This book is about the exercise of prudence and artistic clinical skills in the practice of medicine. The topics covered include skills in listening, observing, caring, communicating, diagnosing, and helping. Specific suggestions to improve these skills together with references for the sources are given.

One special feature of this book is the inclusion of ideas borrowed from fields other than medicine. These include ideas on how to observe from artists and reconstructive surgeons; how to listen from leaders in industry and semantics; how to solve problems from Psychologists and Educators; and how to be a good helper from a leading Educational Psychologist and Counselor. References are given to classic articles and books at the end of each chapter.

This book can be used as a manual for a course on clinical competency for medical students and house-staff.

How To Organize A Course On Clinical Skills And Clinical Competency

One of the readers (Dr.Bud Weidermann) suggested that I explain how this book on Clinical Competency Skills can be used as a Course Manual. It is easy to explain because the book grew out of such a course. Here is how I envision.

You can organize a series of seminars to cover each of the topics listed in the Table of Contents. This can be once a week lasting 1 � to 2 hours each. All the participants will read an assigned chapter (or chapters) before the session. One participant will be chosen to read, in addition, one of the articles or books from the list of references given at the end of that chapter. The leader will start the session describing a clinical situation the participants or the leader had encountered. The special participant will then summarize the article or book he/she was assigned. This will be followed by discussion.

Ideally, the session should have the following 4 components: 1. Inductive stage: The participants share their understanding of the topic, gaps in their knowledge and what they wish to learn about the topic. 2. Input stage: The leader gives a short talk on his or her view on the subject and what he/she hopes to accomplish. 3. Implementation stage: A group discussion. This can also be a demonstration project or a breakout session to deal with specific tasks. 4.Implementation stage: discussion of a few practical points and generating ideas for implementation and further exploration.

On reading the Table of Contents, you will note that this is not a course on Humanism. In my view, humanism is an integral part of every one of clinician's skills. It is not a topic to be discussed separately. Also, humanism does not include specific skills in listening, observing, diagnosing and problem solving. Therefore, this course on Clinical Competency should be a separate course.

You may have other ideas on how to organize the course. I will be very glad to hear from you. With your permission, I will be glad to post these ideas at this site so that others can use them.

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About the Author

Balu H. Athreya is a Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics with deep interest in Clinical Medicine and teaching. He worked and taught at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for over 25 years and is currently teaching and supervising trainees at the A I duPont Hospital for Children at Wilmington, Delaware.

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