Procedural and interpretive skills of medical students: experiences and attitudes of third-year students.
BACKGROUND
Recent data do not exist on medical students' performance of and attitudes toward procedural and interpretive skills deemed important by medical educators.


METHODS
A total of 171 medical students at seven medical schools were surveyed regarding frequency of performance, self-confidence, and perceived importance of 21 procedural and interpretive skills.


RESULTS
Of the 122 responding students (71% response rate), a majority had never performed lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, paracentesis, or blood culture, and students reported lowest self-confidence in these skills. At least one-quarter of students had never performed phlebotomy, peripheral intravenous catheter insertion, or arterial blood sampling. Students perceived all 21 skills as important to learn and perform during medical school.


CONCLUSIONS
Through the third year of medical school, a majority of students had never performed important procedures, and a substantial minority had not performed basic procedures. Students had low self-confidence in skills they rarely performed, but perceived all skills surveyed as important.
Wu
Edward H
EH
Division of General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical School, 593 Eddy Street, Jane Brown Bldg. Suite 0105, Providence, RI 02903, USA. edward_wu@post.harvard.edu
Elnicki
D Michael
DM
Alper
Eric J
EJ
Bost
James E
JE
Corbett
Eugene C
EC
Fagan
Mark J
MJ
Mechaber
Alex
A
Ogden
Paul E
PE
Sebastian
James L
JL
Torre
Dario M
DM
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*