Assessment of Physical Examination and Communications Skills (APECS)

A clinical faculty preceptor observing a physician performing a physical examination on a patient's back to evaluate bedside clinical skills as part of the APECS program.

The Assessment of Physical Examination and Communication Skills (APECS) program, offered through the Center for Bedside Medicine, evaluates and strengthens physicians' bedside clinical skills through encounters with real patients.

About the Program

Physicians are observed by faculty preceptors as they encounter real patients to obtain a medical history and/or perform a focused physical examination, including point-of-care ultrasound.

Educational Focus

A key feature of the program is real-time feedback and coaching from experienced faculty preceptors, with input from real patients as part of a formative evaluation.

Research Focus

The program provides detailed information on a physician's bedside skills, which are being used to develop models that predict clinical performance from electronic health record (EHR) and real-time location system (RTLS) data.

Clinical Domains

APECS evaluates participants across nine domains:

  • Physical examination
  • Ultrasound examination
  • Identifying physical signs
  • Identifying ultrasound signs
  • Clinical communication
  • Differential diagnosis
  • Clinical judgement
  • Managing patients' concerns
  • Maintaining patient welfare

Volunteer Patients

We invite patients with a health condition that can be noticed on physical exam to volunteer in teaching sessions with physician learners at Northwestern Medicine's Chicago campus. Patient participation helps learners improve their physical exam and communication skills. Sign up with the form below to learn more or refer a patient who may be interested.

Volunteer Patient Sign Up

Program Photos

Related Publications

  1. Clark BW, Lee YZJ, Niessen T, Desai SV, Garibaldi BT. Assessing physical examination skills using direct observation and volunteer patients. Diagnosis (Berl). 2020 Mar 13;8(1):101-110. doi: 10.1515/dx-2019-0089. PMID: 32167926. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32167926/)

  2. Clark BW, Niessen T, Apfel A, Luckin J, Lee YZJ, Desai SV, Garibaldi BT. Relationship of Physical Examination Technique to Associated Clinical Skills: Results from a Direct Observation Assessment. Am J Med. 2022 Jun;135(6):775-782.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2021.11.021. Epub 2021 Dec 31. PMID: 34979094. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34979094/)

  3. Gips JR, Stein AA, Luckin J, Garibaldi BT. Internal medicine intern performance on the gastrointestinal physical exam. Diagnosis (Berl). 2023 Jul 21;10(4):412-416. doi: 10.1515/dx-2023-0051. PMID: 37475198. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37475198/)

  4. Lang K, Chew C, De La Rosa M, Bertram AK, Sharma A, Niessen TM, Stein AA, Garibaldi BT. Performance of Cardiovascular Physical Exam Skills by Internal Medicine Residents. Am J Med. 2024 Oct;137(10):1001-1007. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.04.039. Epub 2024 May 11. PMID: 38740321. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38740321/)

  5. Chew C, Lang K, Rosa M, Bertram AK, Stein AA, Sharma A, Niessen TM, Garibaldi BT. Performance of the Cardiovascular Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Exam by Internal Medicine Residents. POCUS J. 2025 Apr 15;10(1):38-44. doi: 10.24908/pocusj.v10i01.17791. PMID: 40342673; PMCID: PMC12057455. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40342673/)

  6. Chou SY, Liu Y, Bertram AK, Stein AA, Niessen TM, Murphy E, Garibaldi BT. Performance of pulmonary physical exam skills by internal medicine interns. Diagnosis (Berl). 2025 Nov 18. doi: 10.1515/dx-2025-0118. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41243491. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41243491/)