The Clinical Skills Assessment Core

The Clinical Skills Assessment Core (CSAC) is busy year-round supporting clinical skills assessments across the School of Medicine. CSAC works with Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, OB-GYN, and Psychiatry/Neurology to deliver standardized clinical skills assessments using trained Simulated Participants (SPs).

One of CSAC’s priorities has been using student feedback to make practical improvements to the exam experience. After each assessment, students are asked about their preparedness, understanding of exam expectations, adequacy of time, accuracy of SP ratings, and their experience with SPs and SP feedback. Rather than simply collecting these surveys, the CSAC and Office of Medical Education team reviews the results by clerkship and rotation and discusses areas that may need attention. For example, feedback regarding timing in the Psychiatry/Neurology assessment led to a revised encounter and documentation schedule. Following the change, student agreement that sufficient time was provided reached 100%.

Student feedback has also highlighted the strength of CSAC’s SP program. Across recent clerkship assessments, ratings of the SP experience and the clarity of SP feedback have consistently been among the highest-rated components, frequently reaching 100% agreement. CSAC has continued recruiting new SPs while providing a structured training process that includes orientation, case preparation, observation of live encounters, standardization, checklist training, and feedback development.

CSAC also participated in Healthcare Simulation Week 2026 and this year’s theme, “Sim Found Me.” Two CSAC SPs helped bring simulation directly to visitors through a “Mystery Clinical Diagnosis” booth. Participants interviewed an SP, asked questions to uncover hidden clues, and then tried to identify the diagnosis. The activity offered a fun, hands-on look at what students experience during an SP encounter and demonstrated how asking the right question can completely change a clinical impression.

For CSAC, these efforts share a common goal: use feedback, data, and well-trained SPs to make each clinical skills assessment better than the last.

CSAC plays a critical role in helping ensure that medical students are assessed on essential clinical and communication skills in a consistent and standardized environment. Faculty interested in developing or strengthening clinical skills assessments are encouraged to collaborate with CSAC to explore how trained SPs and standardized assessment approaches can support their educational goals.