Improving basic surgical skills for final year medical students: the value of a rural weekend.
BACKGROUND
Hospitals employing medical graduates often express concern at the inexperience of new interns in basic surgical skills. In self assessment questionnaires, our senior medical students reported little clinical procedural experience. A practical skills workshop was staged in order to set learning goals for the final study year. This gave the students an opportunity to learn, revise and practice basic surgical techniques.


METHODS
The Bruce Rock rural community sponsored a surgical camp at the beginning of the academic year. Ninety-five (80%) of the class registered at the workshop, which rotated them through teaching modules, with private study opportunities and the capacity to cater for varied skill levels. Eight teaching stations with multiple access points were provided, and ten mock trauma scenarios were staged to augment the learning process.


RESULTS
The teaching weekend was rated by students on an evaluative entrance and exit questionnaire. Sixty-five (73%) students returned questionnaires. They recorded significant improvement (P < 0.05) in their ability to handle the teaching stations. All students had inserted intravenous lines in practice prior to the camp, so the rating change in intravenous line insertion ability was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The weekend retreat offers students a chance to focus on surgical skills, free from the pressures of a clinical setting or the classroom. The emphasis was on the value of practice and primary skills learning. Students endorsed the camp as relevant, practical and an enjoyable learning experience for basic surgical skills.
House
A K
AK
University Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia. akhouse@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
House
J
J
D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral; D015505:Chest Tubes; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000628:therapy; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D007858:Learning; D011231:Preceptorship / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012423:Rural Health; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy