Number
115
Name
One Minute to Shine: A Fresh Take on Assessing Communication in Pre-Clerkship Anatomy
Date & Time
Sunday, June 7, 2026, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Joshua M. Costin, Nova Southeastern University
Kyle Baucman, Nova Southeastern University
Mohammadali Mohajel Shoja, Nova Southeastern University
Gary Schwartz, Nova Southeastern University
Dawn Owens, Nova Southeastern University
Presentation Topic(s)
Assessment
Description
Purpose
Medical schools aim to cultivate students’ ability to articulate
disciplinary knowledge to their peers, a core competency that underpins
effective professional communication in clinical practice. Despite
interpersonal and communication skills (ICS) being recognized as a core
competency domain, their systematic assessment in pre-clerkship undergraduate
medical education (UME) remains limited within competency-based curricula.
Anatomy is traditionally evaluated through written examinations and
laboratory assessments, with increasing interest in integrating additional
competency-based domains into laboratory evaluations. This study responds to
this need by implementing an approach to assessing ICS within in a
pre-clerkship anatomy sessions.
Methods
During each anatomy laboratory session, students rotated through ten stations
in small groups. At each 10-minute station, one student was randomly selected
to deliver a one-minute “chirp” - a brief, peer-directed presentation on any
topic relevant to the learning objectives of that station. Facilitators
evaluated each chirp using a 5-point Likert scale, focusing on non-verbal
communication skills and time management. End-of-course surveys were
administered to both facilitators and students with students additionally
evaluating the anatomy course through standard institutional course
evaluations.
Results
Anatomy facilitators unanimously felt the chirping was
somewhat-to-substantially effective at increasing student preparedness, with
50% rating them significantly-to-substantially more prepared. The approach
enabled early detection of learner difficulties in the ISC domain. Among
students, 55% agreed that chirping improved their preparedness, although 74%
felt that it may not have been the best use of their limited laboratory time.
Conclusion
Embedding brief, peer-directed “chirp” presentations into anatomy
laboratory sessions represents a practical mechanism for reinforcing ICS
within a pre-clerkship UME curriculum. Although student concerns about
competing time demands highlight the need to optimize the design of the
activity, this low?resource intervention demonstrates the feasibility of
integrating ICS evaluation into existing curricula. “Chirp” presentations may
offer a scalable model for incorporation into other foundational science
courses.
Medical schools aim to cultivate students’ ability to articulate
disciplinary knowledge to their peers, a core competency that underpins
effective professional communication in clinical practice. Despite
interpersonal and communication skills (ICS) being recognized as a core
competency domain, their systematic assessment in pre-clerkship undergraduate
medical education (UME) remains limited within competency-based curricula.
Anatomy is traditionally evaluated through written examinations and
laboratory assessments, with increasing interest in integrating additional
competency-based domains into laboratory evaluations. This study responds to
this need by implementing an approach to assessing ICS within in a
pre-clerkship anatomy sessions.
Methods
During each anatomy laboratory session, students rotated through ten stations
in small groups. At each 10-minute station, one student was randomly selected
to deliver a one-minute “chirp” - a brief, peer-directed presentation on any
topic relevant to the learning objectives of that station. Facilitators
evaluated each chirp using a 5-point Likert scale, focusing on non-verbal
communication skills and time management. End-of-course surveys were
administered to both facilitators and students with students additionally
evaluating the anatomy course through standard institutional course
evaluations.
Results
Anatomy facilitators unanimously felt the chirping was
somewhat-to-substantially effective at increasing student preparedness, with
50% rating them significantly-to-substantially more prepared. The approach
enabled early detection of learner difficulties in the ISC domain. Among
students, 55% agreed that chirping improved their preparedness, although 74%
felt that it may not have been the best use of their limited laboratory time.
Conclusion
Embedding brief, peer-directed “chirp” presentations into anatomy
laboratory sessions represents a practical mechanism for reinforcing ICS
within a pre-clerkship UME curriculum. Although student concerns about
competing time demands highlight the need to optimize the design of the
activity, this low?resource intervention demonstrates the feasibility of
integrating ICS evaluation into existing curricula. “Chirp” presentations may
offer a scalable model for incorporation into other foundational science
courses.