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LCME Standard 10.5. HWCOM Technical Standards
HWCOM students must demonstrate the skills, attributes, and qualities defined in the
HWCOM Technical Standards.
Candidates for the MD degree must be able to perform the essential functions in each of the
following five categories listed below. Students must annually confirm and attest to their
ability to meet these standards with or without reasonable accommodations as defined by
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
1. Observation. Candidates must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the
basic sciences including, but not limited to; physiological and pharmacological
demonstrations in animals, microbiologic cultures, and microscope studies of
microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states. A candidate must be able to
accurately observe a patient from a distance and at close range, obtain a medical history
directly from the patient, and directly observe a patient’s medical condition. Observation
necessitates the functional use of the appropriate senses.
2. Communication. Candidates must be able to elicit information from patients; describe
changes in mood, activity, posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate
must be able to communicate effectively with patients. Communication includes speech,
reading, and writing. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently
in settings where communication is typically oral or written, in both immediate and
recorded modes, or when the time span available for communication is limited.
3. Motor/Sensory. Candidates must have sufficient motor and sensory function to elicit
information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic
maneuvers. A candidate should be able to conduct basic laboratory tests (e.g., urinalysis,
CBC, etc.), carry out diagnostic procedures (e.g., thoracentesis, paracentesis, etc.) and
interpret EKGs and radiologic imaging studies. A candidate should be able to execute
motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency
treatment to patients. Examples of emergency treatment reasonably required of
physicians are cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the administration of intravenous fluids and
medication, the application of pressure to stop bleeding, the opening of obstructed
airways, the suturing of simple wounds, and the performance of simple obstetrical
maneuvers. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular
movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.
4. Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative. Candidates must be able to
acquire, assimilate, interpret, integrate, and apply information from direct observation,
oral and written communication, digital pathology and radiologic imaging,
electrocardiograms, and other studies. A candidate must also be able to comprehend
three-dimensional and spatial relationships and continually exercise the skills of inquiry
and intellectual advancement in the profession.