Developing Medical Student Competence in Intimate Partner Violence: a National Priority

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health concern (World Health Organization 2013; Moreno et al. 2013). Medical students receive some training in IPV, but it may not be robust enough to translate to clinical situations. Activity: An integrated longitudinal curricular thread beginning in a student’s second year (M2) and culminating in a high-stakes observed structured clinical exam (OSCE) at the end of third year (M3) was implemented. Results: A pre- and post-survey during the M2 year found students felt their knowledge and self-confidence had increased. M3 students’ ability to screen for IPV using OSCEs showed improvement. Discussion: Pilot data from our longitudinal curricular thread suggests that students were more prepared for managing patients who present with IPV in clinical situations.