title: Clerkship maturity: does the idea of training clinical skills work?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the reformed curriculum "4C", the Medical Faculty of the University of Cologne has started to systematically plan practical skills training, for which Clerkship Maturity is the first step. The key guidelines along which the curriculum was development were developed by experts. This approach has now been validated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Both students and teachers were asked to fill in a questionnaire regarding preclinical practical skills training to confirm the concept of Clerkship Maturity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Cologne training program Clerkship Maturity can be validated empirically overall through the activities of the students awaiting the clerkship framework and through the evaluation by the medical staff providing the training. The subjective ratings of the advantages of the training by the students leave room for improvement. Apart from minor improvements to the program, the most likely solution providing sustainable results will involve an over-regional strategy for establishing skills training planned as part of the curriculum.
authors.affiliation: University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Students Dean´s Office, Cologne, Germany University of Cologne, Medical Faculty, Cologne Interprofessional Skills Lab and Simulation-Center, Cologne, Germany. c.stosch@uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stosch
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joachim
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ascher