Candidates' diagnostic skills also will be lessened without the functional use of the sense of equilibrium. Technological compensation can be made for some handicaps in certain of these areas but a candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner. The use of a trained intermediary means that a candidate's judgment must be mediated by someone else's power of selection and observation and as such is unacceptable. The candidate must be able to observe demonstrations and experiments in the basic sciences, including, but not limited to, physiologic and pharmacologic demonstrations in animals, microbiologic cultures, and microscopic studies of microorganisms and tissues in normal and pathologic states. A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand.
Observation necessitates the functional use of the senses of vision and somatic sensation.
A candidate should be able to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications in interactions with patients. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with all members of the health care team in both immediate and recorded modes. Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients.