The M4 Clinical Skills Examination is a comprehensive assessment of several of the key graduation competencies, including data gathering and interpretation, communication and interpersonal skills, professionalism, and procedural skills. All students are required to sit for this exam by the end of the Fall Semester before graduation. The exam is scheduled in the summer of the M4 year so that students may sit for it as part of their preparation for the NBME Step 2 CS examination.
The M4 Clinical Skills Examination consists of two parts:
1) M4 Standardized Patient Exam
2) M4 Procedural Skills Exam
The M4 Standardized Patient Exam and M4 Procedural Skills Exam are two half-day exams. (For preparation information, please go to the Graham Clinical Performance Center web site and click on For Learners.) Students will be asked to schedule themselves for each exam separately using an on-line scheduling program. An e-mail link will be sent to students in June, and dates will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Students who do not choose testing dates will automatically have dates chosen for them and will be obligated to attend. (See POLICY below.)
DATES for 2009-10: (confirmed 6-25-09)
M4 Standardized Patient Cases Exam: July 20 through August 13, 2009
M4 Procedural Skills Exam: August 17 through August 26, 2009.
There are only two reasons for opting out of taking these exams during this designated testing period:
1) you will NOT HAVE ALL OF THE CORE CLERKSHIPS COMPLETED by the time of the exams. (Students are responsible for contacting Veronica Bohanan in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education if they are not intending to take the exams during the designated time period.)
2) you will have RECEIVED PRIOR APPROVAL from the Associate Dean for Curriculum to be away during the entire testing period due to your unique circumstances. (Students are responsible for contacting Veronica Bohanan in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education if they are seeking approval to be away for the entire testing period.)
There will be a select number of exam slots in October reserved for students who haven’t completed their clerkships or were pre-approved to be away during all of the exam dates. Students who have 1) not received approval , 2) fail to schedule themselves and/or 3) miss their scheduled exam date(s), will be subject to the $800 exam re-mounting fee to cover the cost of hiring personnel for an additional exam date. Those students will also be subject to the consequences listed in the Policy section below.
Scheduling problems should be directed to Veronica Bohanan in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education.
POLICY:
Students who do not appear for these exams as scheduled during the designated time period:
1) will receive a score of 0% and will be required to sit for the exam during the specified remediation period (tentatively scheduled for December.)
2) will have a Professional Behavior - Deficient Behavior Form completed on them which will be submitted to the Office of Students Affairs.
3) will be charged for the second mounting of the exam at a cost which is estimated at $800 per exam in order to meet this graduation requirement. (This charge covers the cost of personnel to mount the exam for an additional date.)
4) cannot be assured of an on-time graduation if this requirement has not been met within the dates made available by the Clinical Performance Center staff.
Due to their nature, these exams are tightly scheduled and begin on time. Students who arrive more than 10 minutes past the scheduled start time will be turned away and subject to the consequences listed above.
Students may petition the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education for an excused absence or explanation for the tardiness. Valid reasons which are excused will have the $800 exam re-mounting fee waived.
EXAM FAILURE & REMEDIATION:
Students will not be allowed to graduate without passing both parts of this examination. The Remediation Examination for the M4 Standardized Patient Cases Exam (tentatively) takes place in December. (Remediation for the Procedural Skills Exam takes place at the time of the exam.) Students who receive a failing score for the M4 Standardized Patient Cases Exam are required to appear and re-take the exam during the remediation period in December (dates to be announced.) Students who did not appear in July or August as originally scheduled will also take the exam at this time.
Students who fail the Standardized Patient Cases Examination may be required to remediate by satisfactorily completing one of the following two-week electives PRIOR to the remediation examination in December:
Ambulatory Medicine at Lutheran General: http://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=506244&pageId=681877
Advanced Inpatient Family Medicine at UIH: http://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=506244&pageId=681859
Students who failed the exam are required to contact Veronica Bohanan in the Office of Undergraduate Medical Education prior to registering for the remediation elective.
Students who do not appear as scheduled for the Remediation Exam will be subject to the consequences listed above.
PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES:
The Clinical Performance Center will provide opportunities for students to come and practice their skills in preparation for the exams. Click here for the Practice Dates for the M4 Procedural Skills Exam.
5/28/09
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