By Folami N. Duncan, M.D. | January 24, 2024 Article Citation: Roberts JK, Sullivan M, Atwater S, Desai K, Prabhu NK, Hertz JT, Buhr GT, Peyser B, Weigle N. Use of virtual interactive patient encounters to prepare first-year medical students for clinical practice. Acad Med 2023; 98(10):1146–1153. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005286 What is this article about? This study evaluates the feasibility and effectiveness of integrating Virtual Interactive Patient (VIP) encounters into the pre-clerkship curriculum at one medical school. The study enrolled first year medical students into a 2-week clinically integrated biomedical science course. The course used a hybrid approach of team-based learning, large group lecture and VIP encounters that taught and assessed clinical reasoning skills. The study revealed that most students were able to achieve a high score level on various clinical reasoning domains. The narrative feedback from students was overall positive; highlighting enhanced self-perceived ability to apply current medical knowledge to patient care and clinical scenarios. Why should you read the article? Pre-clerkship students face a unique challenge of learning a wealth of core biomedical science concepts while also balancing the development of clinical reasoning and practice application skills. This article presents a method that may enhance the learning experience for pre-clerkship students and integrate clinical reasoning skills alongside the basic science curriculum. How can you use this article? The study findings demonstrate that virtual clinical scenarios can be used to optimize medical education during the pre-clerkship years. The tool can be valuable in preparing early medical students for clinical rotations. The early application of basic science knowledge to clinical scenarios can prove beneficial in improving medical student confidence and familiarity with clinical practice. Review Author: Folami N. Duncan, M.D.; Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD. Organization: Council on Medical Student Education in PediatricsVirtual Patients Prepare First-Year Medical Students for Clinical Rotations