Simulation as a Competency-Based Assessment of Communication Skills Within Physician Assistant Education

• In Event: Simulation and Clinical Reasoning

Abstract

Simulation-based practices are widely utilized in medical education and are known to be a safe and effective way to train and assess learners. Recent publication of new graduate competencies related to non-knowledge based domains have prompted the creation of this simulation-based assessment of communication skills for Physician Assistant students.
The purpose of this study was to identify if simulation assessment had appropriate validity and reliability, and if correlation existed between performance on the simulation exam and clinical training performance.
Communication assessment achieved thresholds for internal consistency with minor revisions. No correlation existed between exam performance and clinical practice ratings. These results may be due to the exam rating scale, observation-related factors, and the high-complexity of provider-patient interaction.

Authors

• Michele Toussaint

• Brett E. Shelton, Boise State University