Simply put, clerkships are exciting. After years of arduous coursework, you get to apply your knowledge and work side by side with actual physicians. You’re finally getting to do what it is you’ve always wanted to do: practice medicine.
With that said, the transition from class to clinic is certainly one that needs a bit of feeling out. The needs of real-life patients are much greater than those in Qbank questions: in-person patient management requires “soft skills” that can’t easily be taught or studied. With each clerkship, you realize just how much you learn through the act of clinical care itself.
While you may be missing out on these transformative experiences at the moment, there are some things you can do to prepare ahead of time. You can review maneuvers and clinical scenarios from home—even without a patient—provided you have the right reference materials. In addition, though it may feel too early to think about Step 2 CS, you can run through AMBOSS’ clinical cases together if you have a friend or family member (even over Zoom) and start practicing medicine.
So, ready for some outside-the-clinical clinical prep? Take a look at our collection of clinical examination videos that take you through a variety of maneuvers step by step.
Practice these clinical cases from home
Cardiovascular Examination -
Clinical Examination of the Heart
Measuring Blood Pressure -
Measuring Vital Signs
Examination of the Jugular Venous Pressure -
Clinical Examination
Examination of the Lungs - Clinical Examination
Peripheral Arterial Examination - Clinical Examination
AMBOSS also offers a number of Step 2 CS practice cases that you can run through now to get you into the clinical mindset. Each include counseling and question suggestions, explanations of why certain diagnostic tests should be ordered, and links to images and the aforementioned clinical videos. They’re designed to be used with a partner who acts as the patient, though that partner doesn’t need to be a fellow med student to be able to follow along. We made sure that all findings in the “patient instruction” are explained in layman’s terms so that anyone take on the role. Here are some you can try now while you're "med schooling" from home:
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