Exam by body system

How to do a pelvic exam with a speculum

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPA
Practice it in VR with Blocky

A gentle, well-explained pelvic exam makes the patient feel in control.

Step by step

  1. Consent and chaperone

    Explain each step, the patient can stop any time. [1]

  2. Position

    Lying on the back, knees bent and apart, drape over the knees. [2]

  3. External

    Vulva, skin, discharge. [2]

  4. Speculum

    Warm, lubricated, right size, inserted gently downward and opened to see the cervix. [2]

  5. Inspect and sample

    Cervix and walls, discharge; take swabs or a cervical screening sample. [2]

  6. Bimanual

    Two fingers inside, hand on the belly: uterus and ovaries, tenderness. [2]

  7. Finish

    Cover, let them dress, explain findings. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in VMS

In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

VMS cases that train this skill

16 VMS cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
  3. Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam)
  4. Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)

Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.