Volume 16, Issue 5, September 2015.
Wirachin Hoonpongsimanont, MD, MS, et al.

Introduction: Emergency physicians are among the few specialists besides ophthalmologists
who commonly perform ophthalmologic examinations using the slit lamp and other instruments.
However, most medical schools in the United States do not require an ophthalmology rotation
upon completion. Teaching procedural skills to medical students can be challenging due to limited
resources and instructor availability. Our study assesses the effectiveness of a 40-minute hands-on
teaching session on ophthalmologic examination for medical students using only two instructors and
low-cost equipment.
Methods: We performed an interventional study using a convenience sample of subjects. Pre- and
post-workshop questionnaires on students’ confidence in performing ophthalmologic examination
were administered. We used a paired t-test and Wilcoxon rank test to analyze the data.
Results: Of the 30 participants in the study, the mean age was 25 and the majority were first-year
medical students. The students’ confidence in performing every portion of the ophthalmologic exam
increased significantly after the teaching session. We found that the average confidence level before
the teaching session were below 2 on a 1-5 Likert scale (1 being the least confident). Confidence
levels in using the slit lamp had the highest improvement among the skills taught (2.17 95% CI
[1.84-2.49]). Students reported the least improvement in their confidence in assessing extraocular
movements (0.73, 95% CI [0.30-1.71]) and examining pupillary function (0.73, 95% CI [0.42-1.04]).
We observed the biggest difference in median confidence level in the use of the tonometer (4 with a
p-value of <0.05).
Conclusion: A 40-minute structured hands-on training session can significantly improve students’
confidence levels in ophthalmologic skills.

Volume 16, Issue 2, March 2015
Jillian McGrath, MD et al.

The oral examination is a traditional method for assessing the developing physician’s medical knowledge, clinical reasoning and interpersonal skills. The typical oral examination is a face-to-face encounter in which examiners quiz examinees on how they would confront a patient case. The advantage of the oral exam is that the examiner can adapt questions to the examinee’s response. The disadvantage is the potential for examiner bias and intimidation. Computer-based virtual simulation technology has been widely used in the gaming industry. We wondered whether virtual simulation could serve as a practical format for delivery of an oral examination. For this project, we compared the attitudes and performance of emergency medicine (EM) residents who took our traditional oral exam to those who took the exam using virtual simulation.

Volume 16, Issue 2, March 2015
Sangeeta Lamba, MD et al.

The objective is to describe the implementation and outcomes of a structured communication module used to supplement case-based simulated resuscitation training in an emergency medicine (EM) clerkship.

Volume 16, Issue 1, January 2015
Joshua Wallenstein, MD et al.

Evaluation of emergency medicine (EM) learners based on observed performance in the emergency department (ED) is limited by factors such as reproducibility and patient safety. EM educators depend on standardized and reproducible assessments such as the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

Volume 16, Issue 1, January 2015
H. Gene Hern, Jr., MD, MS et al.

Residency interview apparel has traditionally been the dark business suit. We changed the interview dress code from a traditionally established unwritten ‘formal’ attire to an explicitly described ‘informal’ attire

Volume 16, Issue 1, January 2015
Kiah Connolly, MD et al.

Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of hands-on training at a bedside ultrasound (US) symposium (“Ultrafest”) to improve both clinical knowledge and image acquisition skills of medical students. Primary outcome measure was improvement in multiple choice questions on pulmonary or Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) US knowledge. Secondary outcome was improvement in image acquisition for either pulmonary or FAST.

Volume 15, Issue 7, November 2014
Timothy P. Young, MD et al.

A “flipped classroom” educational model exchanges the traditional format of a classroom lecture and homework problem set.

Volume 15, Issue 6, September 2014
Brian Johnson, MD, MPH et al.

Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks (UGNB) are increasingly used in emergency care. The hand-on-syringe (HS) needle technique is ideally suited to the emergency department setting because it allows a single operator to perform the block without assistance.