This paper presents and evaluates an innovative approach for teaching medical students how to do a routine pelvic examination, emphasizing the patient-physician relationship. A questionnaire was administered to second year medical students in North Carolina before and after instruction by trained women from the nearby community. Communication skills between physician and patient, patient education, giving patients options, and patient comfort were considered more necessary after the teaching experience. Students also felt considerably more able to perform the technical skills of the exam. The teaching was judged by almost all students as informative and competent. This study provides a strong rationale for using trained women from the community to teach medical students how to do routine pelvic examinations.
