Expectations for oral case presentations for clinical clerks: Opinions of internal medicine clerkship directors

Background: Little is known about the expectations of undergraduate internal medicine educators for oral case presentations (OCPs). OBJECTIVE: We surveyed undergraduate internal medicine educational leaders to determine the degree to which they share the same expectations for oral case presentations. SUBJECTS: Participants were institutional members of the Clerkship Directors of Internal Medicine (CDIM). DESIGN: We included 20 questions relating to the OCP within the CDIM annual survey of its institutional members. We asked about the relative importance of specific attributes in a third-year medical student OCP of a new patient as well as its expected length. Percentage of respondents rating attributes as "very important" were compared using chi-squared analysis. RESULTS: Survey response rate was 82/110 (75%). Some attributes were more often considered very important than others (p∈<∈.001). Eight items, including aspects of the history of present illness, organization, a directed physical exam, and a prioritized assessment and plan focused on the most important problems, were rated as very important by >50% of respondents. Respondents expected the OCP to last a median of 7 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate internal medicine education leaders from a geographically diverse group of North American medical schools share common expectations for OCPs which can guide instruction and evaluation of this skill.