Clinical Reasoning Skills in Medical Education
By Office of the President | Jan 14, 2025
One of the most essential skills in medicine is mastering clinical reasoning—assessing
and interpreting patient information to make informed decisions. Yet many medical
students face significant challenges moving from the classroom-focused pre-clerkship
phase to the hands-on demands of clerkship training.
Robin K. Ovitsh, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, worked with a national team of medical educators to tackle this challenge in a study published in Medical Education Online. With a career focused on helping students build essential clinical skills, Dr. Ovitsh has served as Associate Dean of Clinical Competencies in the College of Medicine (COM) and continues to influence medical education through her role on the COM Admissions Committee.
Dr. Ovitsh, a former president and active member of the Directors of Clinical Skills Education (DOCS)—affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges—is a driving force in promoting best practices, research, and collaboration in clinical education.
The study highlighted challenges transitioning from pre-clerkship to clerkship training, including limited time for teaching clinical reasoning, a lack of trained faculty, and gaps in understanding between pre-clerkship and clerkship educators. While both groups emphasized practical skills like pattern recognition, they focused less on theoretical approaches, potentially hindering students’ ability to navigate complex decision-making. These findings underscore the need for a more cohesive and integrated approach to teaching clinical reasoning across the medical education continuum.
Dr. Ovitsh and her co-authors propose a structured curriculum with a shared language for teaching clinical reasoning, enhanced faculty training, and early introduction of concepts in pre-clerkship reinforced during clerkship, preparing students with the confidence and skills to excel clinically.
Thank you, Dr. Ovitsh, for your steadfast commitment to improving medical education. Your efforts empower students, educators, and the communities they will serve. Read the complete study here.