The purpose of the course is to support the knowledge and skills required to deliver care in the clinical internship. The first half of the lecture portion is designed to review effective history taking and physical examination procedures as they apply to working up a musculoskeletal complaint during a new patient visit. Students are introduced to basic clinic documentation and the processes of working through a differential diagnosis, management plan, and prognosis. The second half of the lecture portion introduces clinical reasoning strategies for diagnosing and assessing musculoskeletal conditions as well as building evidenced-informed practice and critical thinking skills. Utilizing standardized patients, the lab portion is designed to promote the student’s ability to apply examination skills from previous courses; begin to demonstrate proficiency in performing complete regional cervical, lumbar and general physical exam flows; and to synthesize clinical data into a working diagnosis and coherent management plan.
- Instructor: Ron LeFebvre
- Co-Instructor: Mary Kate Connolly