Assessment in Clinical Education: Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-Cex)

Abstract

The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is a valid and reliable method to assess the clinical competencies in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. It was developed by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). In the mini-CEX, faculty members observe resi-dent's competency in medical interviewing, physical examination, professionalism, clinical judgment, counseling skills, organization, and efficiency in any healthcare setting. The encounters are intended to be relatively short in the range of approximately 15-20 min. The performance is scored using a structured form; then, educational feedback is provided. In this paper, Mini-CEX that has great importance in the evaluation of students' performance was introduced as well as its application, advantages, and disadvantages were discussed.