Expanding the Scope of Clinical Practice: The Physical Examination

Five clinical health psychologists at a major medical center successfully completed a 36-hr, graduate-level nurse practitioner course in advanced health assessment. The psychologists were trained to conduct thorough physical examinations and evaluate medical histories. All psychologists successfully completed the course and reported high levels of comfort with their ability to (a) conduct physical examinations, (b) describe physical examination findings, (c) provisionally identify medical problems and generally abnormal conditions, and (d) make appropriate referrals to medical specialists, when necessary. The nurse practitioner instructors reported high levels of satisfaction with student mastery of course content. The psychologists and nurses both reported high levels of satisfaction with the student-faculty relationship.