Purpose: The revised Clinical Skills Test (CST) of the Korean Medical Licensing Exam aims to provide a better assessment of physicians’ clinical competence and ability to interact with patients. This study examined the impact of the revised CST on medical education curricula and resources nationwide, while also identifying areas for improvement within the revised CST. Methods: This study surveyed faculty responsible for clinical clerkships at 40 medical schools throughout Korea to evaluate the status and changes in clinical skills education, assessment, and resources related to the CST. The researchers distributed the survey via email through regional consortia between December 7, 2023 and January 19, 2024. Results: Nearly all schools implemented preliminary student–patient encounters during core clinical rotations. Schools primarily conducted clinical skills assessments in the third and fourth years, with a simplified form introduced in the first and second years. Remedial education was conducted through various methods, including one-on-one feedback from faculty after the assessment. All schools established clinical skills centers and made ongoing improvements. Faculty members did not perceive the CST revisions as significantly altering clinical clerkship or skills assessments. They suggested several improvements, including assessing patient records to improve accuracy and increasing the objectivity of standardized patient assessments to ensure fairness. Conclusion During the CST, students’ involvement in patient encounters and clinical skills education increased, improving the assessment and feedback processes for clinical skills within the curriculum. To enhance students’ clinical competencies and readiness, strengthening the validity and reliability of the CST is essential.

Purpose: The revised Clinical Skills Test (CST) of the Korean Medical Licensing Exam aims to provide a better assessment of physicians’ clinical competence and ability to interact with patients. This study examined the impact of the revised CST on medical education curricula and resources nationwide, while also identifying areas for improvement within the revised CST. Methods: This study surveyed faculty responsible for clinical clerkships at 40 medical schools throughout Korea to evaluate the status and changes in clinical skills education, assessment, and resources related to the CST. The researchers distributed the survey via email through regional consortia between December 7, 2023 and January 19, 2024. Results: Nearly all schools implemented preliminary student–patient encounters during core clinical rotations. Schools primarily conducted clinical skills assessments in the third and fourth years, with a simplified form introduced in the first and second years. Remedial education was conducted through various methods, including one-on-one feedback from faculty after the assessment. All schools established clinical skills centers and made ongoing improvements. Faculty members did not perceive the CST revisions as significantly altering clinical clerkship or skills assessments. They suggested several improvements, including assessing patient records to improve accuracy and increasing the objectivity of standardized patient assessments to ensure fairness. Conclusion During the CST, students’ involvement in patient encounters and clinical skills education increased, improving the assessment and feedback processes for clinical skills within the curriculum. To enhance students’ clinical competencies and readiness, strengthening the validity and reliability of the CST is essential.

Purpose: The revised Clinical Skills Test (CST) of the Korean Medical Licensing Exam aims to provide a better assessment of physicians’ clinical competence and ability to interact with patients. This study examined the impact of the revised CST on medical education curricula and resources nationwide, while also identifying areas for improvement within the revised CST. Methods: This study surveyed faculty responsible for clinical clerkships at 40 medical schools throughout Korea to evaluate the status and changes in clinical skills education, assessment, and resources related to the CST. The researchers distributed the survey via email through regional consortia between December 7, 2023 and January 19, 2024. Results: Nearly all schools implemented preliminary student–patient encounters during core clinical rotations. Schools primarily conducted clinical skills assessments in the third and fourth years, with a simplified form introduced in the first and second years. Remedial education was conducted through various methods, including one-on-one feedback from faculty after the assessment. All schools established clinical skills centers and made ongoing improvements. Faculty members did not perceive the CST revisions as significantly altering clinical clerkship or skills assessments. They suggested several improvements, including assessing patient records to improve accuracy and increasing the objectivity of standardized patient assessments to ensure fairness. Conclusion During the CST, students’ involvement in patient encounters and clinical skills education increased, improving the assessment and feedback processes for clinical skills within the curriculum. To enhance students’ clinical competencies and readiness, strengthening the validity and reliability of the CST is essential.

BACKGROUND: There are practical difficulties to show exact clinical symptoms such as seizure to medical students at Clinical Performance Examination (CPX). We developed a new CPX case of child's seizure on video using smartphone.METHODS: A total of 356 4th-year students of five universities in Daegue-Gyeongbuk and Gyeongnam area took the clinical skill examination from June 13th to 17th in 2016. Among them, 72 students took the new CPX case in June 15th and 71 students filled out the questionnaire on whether the new CPX with smartphone video is helpful, authentic, difficult, and necessary for other CPX. All the questions were measured on 5-Likert scale.RESULTS: Mean score of the new CPX was 57.1, lower than the mean scores of the other 11 CPX cases, 62.8. For the question “Smartphone videos helped to solve the problem”, 45 students (63.4%) answered ‘Very much’. For the question “Is it realistic compared to other questions?” 30 students (42.3%) and 25 students (35.2%) answered ‘Very much’ and ‘Much’. For the question “Is it difficult compared with other questions?” 18 students (25.4%) and 26 students (36.6%) answered ‘Very much’ and ‘Much’. As for the question “I would like to have more tests using smartphone video”, 26 students (36.6%) answered ‘So and so’.CONCLUSION: A majority of students responded that video presentation was helpful and authentic to figure out the CPX, whereas they assessed smartphone video was more difficult compared with other CPXs. Further, students were negative toward using smartphone video for the other CPXs.
Clinical Competence ; Humans ; Seizures ; Smartphone ; Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to examine the academic achievements of first year medical students in one medical school based on their characteristics and student selection factors of admission. METHODS: The admission scores of student selection factors (Medical Education Eligibility Test [MEET], grade point average [GPA], English test score and interview) and demographic information were obtained from 61 students who had interviewed (multiple mini interview [MMI]) for admission (38 graduate medical school students in 2014, 23 medical college-transfer students in 2015). T-tests and ANOVA were used to examine the differences in academic achievement according to the student characteristics. Correlations between admission criteria scores and academic achievements were examined. RESULTS: MEET score was higher among graduate medical students than medical college transfer students among student selection factors for admission. There were no significant differences in academic achievement of first grade medical school between age, gender, region of high school, years after graduation and school system. The lowest interview score group showed significantly lower achievement in problem-based learning (PBL) (p=0.034). Undergraduate GPA score was positively correlated with first grade total score (r=0.446, p=0.001) among admission scores of student selection factors. CONCLUSION: Students with higher GPA scores tend to do better academically in their first year of medical school. In case of interview, academic achievement did not lead to differences except for PBL.
Education ; Humans ; Problem-Based Learning ; School Admission Criteria* ; Schools, Medical* ; Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: Smartphone addiction, academic stress and anxiety of university students are increasing gradually; however, few studies have investigated these factors in medical school students. Therefore, this study investigated associations between smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects in medical school students. METHODS: A total of 231 Yeungnam University College of Medicine students were enrolled in this study in March 2017. Gender, school grade, type of residence, and smartphone usage patterns of the students were surveyed. The Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale and each Korean version scale were used to assess sociopsychological aspects such as loneliness, stress and anxiety. RESULTS: There was a direct statistical correlation between loneliness, stress of negative perception, anxiety and smartphone addiction scales. There was also a negative statistical correlation between stress of positive perception and smartphone addiction scales. There was a higher level of anxiety among female students than male students. Additionally, there was a higher level of stress associated with negative perception and anxiety among medical students in the first grade than other students. Moreover there was a higher level of loneliness, stress of negative perception and anxiety among students who live with friends than students who live with their own family. CONCLUSION: Smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects significantly correlated. Moreover, the results suggest that female medical students in the first grade who have been separated from their family need more attention and management of loneliness, stress and anxiety to avoid smartphone addiction.
Anxiety ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Male ; Schools, Medical* ; Smartphone* ; Students, Medical ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to examine the academic achievements of first year medical students in one medical school based on their characteristics and student selection factors of admission.METHODS: The admission scores of student selection factors (Medical Education Eligibility Test [MEET], grade point average [GPA], English test score and interview) and demographic information were obtained from 61 students who had interviewed (multiple mini interview [MMI]) for admission (38 graduate medical school students in 2014, 23 medical college-transfer students in 2015). T-tests and ANOVA were used to examine the differences in academic achievement according to the student characteristics. Correlations between admission criteria scores and academic achievements were examined.RESULTS: MEET score was higher among graduate medical students than medical college transfer students among student selection factors for admission. There were no significant differences in academic achievement of first grade medical school between age, gender, region of high school, years after graduation and school system. The lowest interview score group showed significantly lower achievement in problem-based learning (PBL) (p=0.034). Undergraduate GPA score was positively correlated with first grade total score (r=0.446, p=0.001) among admission scores of student selection factors.CONCLUSION: Students with higher GPA scores tend to do better academically in their first year of medical school. In case of interview, academic achievement did not lead to differences except for PBL.
Education ; Humans ; Problem-Based Learning ; School Admission Criteria ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: Smartphone addiction, academic stress and anxiety of university students are increasing gradually; however, few studies have investigated these factors in medical school students. Therefore, this study investigated associations between smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects in medical school students.METHODS: A total of 231 Yeungnam University College of Medicine students were enrolled in this study in March 2017. Gender, school grade, type of residence, and smartphone usage patterns of the students were surveyed. The Korean Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale and each Korean version scale were used to assess sociopsychological aspects such as loneliness, stress and anxiety.RESULTS: There was a direct statistical correlation between loneliness, stress of negative perception, anxiety and smartphone addiction scales. There was also a negative statistical correlation between stress of positive perception and smartphone addiction scales. There was a higher level of anxiety among female students than male students. Additionally, there was a higher level of stress associated with negative perception and anxiety among medical students in the first grade than other students. Moreover there was a higher level of loneliness, stress of negative perception and anxiety among students who live with friends than students who live with their own family.CONCLUSION: Smartphone addiction scale and sociopsychological aspects significantly correlated. Moreover, the results suggest that female medical students in the first grade who have been separated from their family need more attention and management of loneliness, stress and anxiety to avoid smartphone addiction.
Anxiety ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Male ; Schools, Medical ; Smartphone ; Students, Medical ; Weights and Measures

The aim of this report was to discuss the development and content of a guide on clinical performance and basic clinical skills for medical students. We published the first edition of this guide in 2010 and will publish the second edition in 2016. Initially, we took a survey on important clinical presentations and fundamental clinical and technical skills in 41 medical schools in Korea. Ultimately, we chose 80 core clinical presentations and 56 clinical skills. In the guide to basic clinical skills, we described the physical examination and technical skills according to the preprocedural preparation, procedure, and postprocedural process. In the guide on clinical performance, we reviewed patient encounters-from history taking and the physical examination to patient education. We included communication skills, principles of patient safety, and clinical reasoning schemes into the guides. In total, 43 academic faculty members helped develop the basic clinical skills guide, 75 participated in establishing the clinical performance guide, and 16 advisors from 14 medical specialty societies contributed to the guide. These guides can help medical students approach patients holistically and safely.
Clinical Competence/*standards ; Educational Measurement/*methods ; Humans ; *Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Republic of Korea ; *Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: The reports that obesity could be associated with upper gastrointestinal disorders such as gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, reflux esophagitis have not been consistent. Therefore, we studied the association between esophagogastroduodenoscopic (EGD) findings and the related risk factors of obesity. METHODS: The study subjects include 2,210 adults who visited the Health Promotion Center of one university hospital from January 2006 to December 2006. All subjects had standard physical measurements as well as resting blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, serum lipids, and gastroendoscopic examination. BMI was classified into two groups (BMI > or = 23 kg/m2, normal; BMI < 23 kg/m2, overweight or obese). The study subjects were classified into four groups according to the EGD findings; normal, gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcer, reflux esophagitis. RESULTS: Mean BMI of gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcer, and reflux esophagitis groups were higher than normal group after adjusting age, sex, alcohol and smoking (P < 0.001). Gastritis risk (OR, 2.098; 95% CI, 1.195 to 3.682; P = 0.01), gastric or duodenal ulcer risk (OR, 2.562; 95% CI, 1.282 to 5.117; P = 0.008), and reflux esophagitis risk (OR, 2.856; 95% CI, 1.522 to 5.360; P = 0.001) were significantly higher in overweight and obesity group compare with normal weight group after adjusting age, sex, alcohol and smoking. CONCLUSION: We suggest that overweight or obesity is the risk factor of gastritis, gastric or duodenal ulcer, and reflux esophagitis.
Adult ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Fasting ; Gastritis ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stomach Ulcer