Preparing medical college students to be better clinicians - Competent in skills, confident and patient care capable

This whole blog starts with the question “Why are medical schools world over equipping their students with skills based lab learning outside of hospital environment and in the first three years of their course itself?”

Seems strange, on first analysis. Hospitals are the bedrock of clinical skills learning and provides so much diversity and real life medical situations, so why have skills lab??

Experiences clinical academicians will tell you that it is impossible to learn or test skills on patients just because you are a rookie! Patient rights and ethics now push back any attempt to look at patients are learning material. So, there is a need to have medics to complete all their skills learning in college in simulated environments – where doing mistakes is OK, where failing is OK and not having known is also OK!

Too good to be true? But, it is true. Medical colleges have now embarked on a journey where 46 out of 49 NMC mandated skills are taught using reliable, clinically validated and robust platforms. Students can learn all the skills they need as a practicing doctor – so that they can confidently save people in life threatening medical emergencies, stabilise them and refer/transfer them to a advanced speciality care centre for further treatment.

Picture 1 : Student doing digital OSCE based skills learning; preparing his performance assessment by way of a video submittal to the assessor

This is a tall order, which even practicing doctors will shudder at – given the fact that they missed skills training during their medical college days. So, lets give a big shout to certified capable and effective new doctor – who will stand out at all potential opportunities.

Picture 2 : Demonstration of CPR for medical students

The process of scenario based learning, skills learning in teams and extensive use of manikins and simulators is the long awaited change and has made strong impact on students!