A Basic Clinical Skills Tutorial for First-Year Psychiatric Residents

Abstract

The basic clinical skills of psychiatric residents beginning work in the general hospital need systematic evaluation. Because of the heterogeneity of previous training and experience each new resident should be required to demonstrate by his performance that he has acquired a basic level of skills in interviewing and evaluating a psychiatric patient and in recording that evaluation. A basic clinical skills tutorial program is described that pursues educational objectives that have specific terminal behaviors, evaluation techniques, and educational strategies. The authors’ experience with the tutorial is discussed including problems encountered in implementation and plans for modification. The tutorial is viewed as preparing residents for the more complex tasks of assessment, treatment planning and implementation, and evaluation of treatment—tasks requiring higher orders of clinical judgment.