School of Podiatric Medicine Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Summer 6-30-2026
Abstract
Retention of foundational sciences and application into clinical reasoning remains a challenge in podiatric medical and surgical education, particularly as students transition into clinicals and prepare for externships, board examinations, and residency. The goal of this intervention within the longitudinal lower extremity case-based curriculum is to emphasize recall through application of physical examination findings, imaging interpretation, development of differential diagnoses, pathology severity classification, determination of surgical indications, ethical justification of operative intervention, and patient-centered informed consent discussions. Limited curricular models intentionally address when and how learners should be reassessed to optimize long-term retention and clinical preparedness. Instructional adjustments are designed with groupwork assessments a week after student-led presentations with immediate feedback and again at the end of month examinations. These efforts are to improve clinical understanding through relevance and application, motivate deliberate study, encourage communication and clinical decision making through defense, through optimal reinforcement timing to maximize retention. Limitations include challenges in tracking individual longitudinal outcomes due to team-based assessments and early adjustments lack mapping to summative examinations prior to clerkships. Primary outcomes include longitudinal performance benchmarks as on-target versus below-target, exam performance trends, and observed clinical reasoning proficiency prior to clerkships. Secondary outcomes capture attendance patterns, study engagement behaviors and motivation, and perceived readiness for residency transition. By linking applied learning with deliberate, timed reassessment, this curriculum seeks to improve not only knowledge retention but also the ability to apply foundational science in complex clinical contexts, ultimately supporting a smoother transition to advanced training.
Recommended Citation
Heybeck, Tyreen and Campbell, Stephanie N., "Improving Knowledge Retention and Clinical Reasoning in Podiatric Medical Education: MedEd Capstone" (2026). School of Podiatric Medicine Publications. 146.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/sopm_pub/146
Academic Level
faculty
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching Commons, Contemplative Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Podiatry Commons
Comments
Copyright the Authors.