Clinical Skills
The Clinical Skills program at Mercer University School of Medicine teaches students the essential skills required for patient interactions, including medical history interviews and physical examination techniques. Students practice these skills with standardized patients, who simulate specific medical conditions and provide constructive feedback. Early in their medical education, students engage in clinical experiences within primary care physicians’ offices, allowing them to apply and refine their skills. Throughout their first two years, they participate in clinical and community-oriented programs in Georgia communities, reinforcing their learning through real-world applications.
The curriculum is integrated into the broader Patient-Based Learning (PBL) approach, emphasizing competency in both biomedical sciences and clinical medicine. It includes topics such as population health, evidence-based medicine, medical humanities, and medical ethics. The program is structured into four 16- to 17-week blocks, each containing four- to six-week modules that cover foundational medical sciences and clinical skills. This curriculum design supports a comprehensive understanding of medical principles, promoting life-long learning and professional development. Students engage in small group, case-based learning sessions and large group activities, fostering teamwork and critical thinking.
Educational Benefits
- Early Skill Development: Within the first few weeks of medical school, students engage with SPs to learn basic interaction skills, focusing on interviewing techniques and physical examination skills.
- Safe Learning Environment: The controlled environment provided by SPs allows students to practice and refine their skills without the pressure and fatigue associated with actual patient interactions.
- Consistency in Training: By standardizing the portrayal of patients, SPs ensure that each student receives a consistent and comprehensive learning experience.
Standardized Patients
The Standardized Patient (SP) Program is an integral part of the curriculum at Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM). Standardized Patients are community members who are trained to portray patients in a consistent manner, ensuring a uniform educational experience for each student. They play a crucial role in shaping the future of Georgia's physicians.
Standardized Patient Responsibilities
- Memorizing a patient persona and relevant background information, such as past medical history and allergies, as well as symptoms and other details related to the medical complaint being explored in the patient scenario. The character and symptoms must be portrayed in a manner that is as believable as possible.
- Undergoing limited physical examinations, such as the student taking pulses, listening for breath and heart sounds, taking blood pressure, and other routine procedures.
- Fill out questionnaire after examination to provide feedback to the student.
- Being punctual and reliable as classes and exams cannot be rescheduled once set and the students rely on our standardized patients to show up as promised.
Standardized Patient
Program Contacts
Mission, Vision, Values
MISSION: To provide current and future medical professionals with experience-based cognitive understanding and procedural skills to improve health and treatment in the rural and medically underserved areas of Georgia.
VISION: To touch rural and medically underserved communities of Georgia through the delivery of objective based clinical simulations to their current and future health care providers.
VALUES: Integrity, Transparency, Mutual Respect, Professionalism, Accountability, Results Orientation