The effectiveness of the structured clinical instruction module.

Background: The Structured Clinical Instruction Module (SCIM) provides students with a structured educational experience related to clinical skills on a single clinical topic. This study examined the effect of the SCIM on students' performances on breast stations in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

Methods: Three student groups each experienced a different type of instruction about breast care and treatment (condition A = lecture; condition B = nine-station SCIM, lecture, and manual; and condition C = five-station SCIM). All students subsequently participated in a surgery OSCE that included standardized patient stations on taking a breast history and performing breast examinations.

Results: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests consistently found that the mean scores of students in conditions B and C were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of students in condition A.

Conclusions: These results suggest that the SCIM is an effective patient-based standardized instructional program that enhances the instruction of clinical skills to students.