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We're Passionate About What We Teach

Exam Essentials uses teaching protocols that we design with the input of
health practitioners, mental health professionals, and personal experience

They are dynamic, which means we update the protocols whenever we learn a technique that is better for patients or their providers

We guide students on appropriate language choices, draping technique, patient empowerment, and situational awareness throughout our instruction

Greeting Patients

During each teaching session, we start by focusing on language and techniques used to greet a patient

Your students may greet many patients before they meet us, but getting students talking helps them feel less nervous and gives them time to become comfortable with their instructor. In addition, there are many ways to talk about health and genitals but only a few ways that are unlikely to leave patients feeling ill at ease

These are steps we recommend to students who are greeting their patient for an exam

  • Introducing themself with their name and role (and pronouns if they want)
  • Identifying their patient
  • Ice breaker
  • 2 Open-ended questions to elicit all patient concerns
  • Asking about past exam experience
  • Agenda
  • Sensitivity check-in
  • Comfort statement

Breast Exam

Exam Essentials teaches the breast exam with a demonstration and having each student practice the exam on, and with guidance from, the instructor.

Our breast exam protocol currently includes:

  • Visualization of the breast tissue with the patient in three different positions, plus an additional technique to account for differently shaped bodies
  • Palpation of the arm and axillary lymph nodes with the patient in a seated position
  • Hand-over-hand palpation method for examination of the breast tissue
  • Checking the nipple for discharge (by scooping and lifting the nipple once and then again 90° from the first) and adhesions

Pelvic Exam

Exam Essentials teaches the pelvic (GYN) exam with an explanation and having each student practice the exam, and with guidance from, the instructor.

We start by teaching students to help the patient move into position

  • Helping the patient comfortably move to the edge of the table
  • Helping the patient adjust their knees
  • Offering the patient a mirror
  • Gloving up

 

Exam Essentials teaches the pelvic exam as a three part assessement covering these topics

1. External Exam

  • Palpation of the inguinal lymph nodes
  • Palpation of the external labia
  • Visualization of the external genitals and vestibule
  • Patient education
  • Checking the greater vestibular (Bartholin’s) gland
  • Checking kegel tone

 

2. Internal Exam

  • Speculum adjustment, sizing, and snafus
  • Pap smear tools (but not technique)
  • Gelling the speculum
  • Insertion of the speculum
  • Tips for finding the cervix
  • Removal of the speculum

 

3. Bi-Manual Exam

  • Fresh glove
  • Gel on the inserting finger/s
  • Inserting the finger/s
  • Palpating for the fundus
  • Palpating for ovaries

Penile Exam

Exam Essentials teaches the penile exam with a demonstration and having each student practice the exam on, and with guidance from, the instructor.

Exam Essentials starts by teaching students how to address erections during this exam

Students are then instructed on

  • Helping their patient into position
  • Assessing the patient’s Tanner stage and other visual assessment
  • Checking the inguinal and femoral lymph nodes
  • Palpating femoral pulses
  • Palpation and visual assessment of the penis
  • Inspecting the meatus
  • Checking for discharge

Testicular/Scrotal Exam

Exam Essentials teaches the testicular exam with a demonstration and having each student practice the exam on, and with guidance from, the instructor.

Exam Essentials teaches students to ask questions about trauma and self-exam at the start of this assessment, both for clinical reasons and for patient comfort

Students are then instructed on

  • Palpating the testicles
  • Checking the epididymis and  vas deferens
  • Assessment technique if nodules are found
  • Examining the inguinal ring

Prostrate Exam

Exam Essentials teaches examining the prostate by digital rectal exam. It is demonstrated and students practice on, and with the guidance of, the instructor.

Exam Essentials teaches students to perform the DRE in the following order

  • Helping the patient move into the necessary position -we have students practice with instructor standing but tell them that a lateral position can work better for some patients
  • Visual inspection of the anus
  • Insertion
  • Palpating the apex, base, and lateral portions of the prostate as well as the median sulcus
  • Checking the intersphincteric groove
  • Color assessment of any fecal matter deposited on the gloved finger

We’re happy to customize our teaching for you.

Need us to teach a different palpation method? Check the skene’s gland too? Just let us know!

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