Procedural and interpretive skills of medical students: experiences and attitudes of fourth-year students.
BACKGROUND
Recent data do not exist regarding fourth-year medical students' performance of and attitudes toward procedural and interpretive skills, and how these differ from third-year students'.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey conducted in February 2006 of 122 fourth-year students from seven U.S. medical schools, compared with their responses in summer 2005. Students estimated their cumulative performance of 22 skills and reported self-confidence and perceived importance using a five-point Likert-type scale.


RESULTS
The response rate was 79% (96/122). A majority reported never having performed cardioversion, thoracentesis, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, blood culture, purified protein derivative placement, or paracentesis. One fifth of students had never performed peripheral intravenous catheter insertion, phlebotomy, or arterial blood sampling. Students reported increased cumulative performance of 17 skills, increased self-confidence in five skills, and decreased perceived importance in three skills (two-sided P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
A majority of fourth-year medical students still have never performed important procedures, and a substantial minority have not performed basic procedures.
Wu
Edward H
EH
Division of General Internal Medicine, Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network, 17th and Chew Streets, Room 6T22, Allentown, PA 18105, 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 J
AJ
Ogden
Paul E
PE
Sebastian
James L
JL
Torre
Dario M
DM
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002982:Clinical Clerkship / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*