The Clinical Vignette

The clinical vignette, whether the focus is on advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology or diagnostic concepts, is a case scenario that drives home the desired EBP processes of that case. For example, you may have a pharmvignette that asks you what is involved in EBP prescribing for a specific illness, such as tuberculosis. Its approach, via a real-world case vignette, will apply concepts differently than just studying what medicines you use in TB. These processes use active, clinical reasoning that will help you in those respective areas, building upon your foundational understanding of theoretical course work. 

The pathovignette will focus on a systems-based case, such as in the gastrointestinal or pulmonary system. Within the case vignette (the medical story), you will be given epidemiological characteristics, risk factors, clinical presentation clues, and differential diagnosis confounders that allow you to apply deductive reasoning to get to the answer. You are playing health detective with the information and trying to decide what the illness is. After you have determined what the illness is, you will answer a few questions that are focused on reinforcement of foundational knowledge and application of advanced principles.  You will also be asked to look at advanced concepts in developing the differential diagnosis, understanding pertinent positives and negatives, and pertinent labs and imaging interpretations.