Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
An academic hospitalist talks about 3 big problems with teaching the physical exam to medical, nursing, and PA students:
1. We don't teach how to properly tailor the exam to the patient and situation.
2. We don't include sufficient use of bedside ultrasound.
3. We focus teaching what's included in the classic physical exam textbooks rather than focusing on what exam components and maneuvers are supported by the evidence and which are used in real-life practice by outstanding clinicians (when they are not being observed by students!)
An academic hospitalist talks about 3 big problems with teaching the physical exam to medical, nursing, and PA students:
1. We don't teach how to properly tailor the exam to the patient and situation.
2. We don't include sufficient use of bedside ultrasound.
3. We focus teaching what's included in the classic physical exam textbooks rather than focusing on what exam components and maneuvers are supported by the evidence and which are used in real-life practice by outstanding clinicians (when they are not being observed by students!)
