PURPOSE
Transitioning to medical school is challenging for many students [1], and
many clinicians note a decline in physical exam and general clinical skills
over the last few decades[2]. Medical students themselves also note a lack of
confidence in their procedural skills despite many having high motivation to
learn them [3]. We developed and implemented a workshop to increase
confidence in clinical skills for premedical students transitioning to
medical school, focusing on third year students in the BS/MD program at
Augusta University.
METHODS
The students were organized into groups of five and rotated through four 45
minute stations based on curriculum and input from the MCG Curriculum Office:
a standardized patient encounter including taking vital signs, ultrasound, a
high-fidelity simulation, and general clinical skills including IV/IOs,
suturing, and CPR. Current medical students ran the simulation and acted as
instructors.
RESULTS
At the end, a retrospective pre/post self-assessment and a focus group was
used to find ways to improve the workshop. Given the paired nature of the
data, one-tailed paired t-tests were performed to determine whether
participants reported significant improvements in confidence before and after
the workshop. Results indicated statistically significant improvements in all
competency areas, from building rapport with patients to technical clinical
skills and ultrasound.
CONCLUSION
Strengths include small group sizes, allowing students to feel comfortable
asking questions about the workshop or medical school. Limitations include
the number of students hosted and the time restraint; some skills require
more time to learn and understand. This workshop improved student confidence
in their own procedural skills and could potentially be repeated earlier in
the BS/MD curriculum to see if a linear improvement in confidence and/or
actual clinical skills is found.