Clinical reasoning is an essential skill utilized by physicians that begins the moment a clinical encounter is initiated. Clinical Learning Sessions take place throughout the first two years of medical school, and require students to utilize their communication and physical diagnosis skills to successfully reason through clinical cases. The goals of these sessions are for students to develop and advance their skills in clinical reasoning, hypothesis-driven physical diagnosis, oral presentation, and written documentation.
Cases for these sessions are written with consideration of the basic science knowledge the students have acquired to date to allow for a meaningful discussion of differential diagnoses. Additional activities during and after the sessions provide students with the opportunity to develop skills in hypothesis- driven physical examination as well as oral and written presentations.