Is it time for integration of surgical skills simulation into the United Kingdom undergraduate medical curriculum? A perspective from King’s College London School of Medicine
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
PURPOSE: Changes in undergraduate medical curricula, combined with reforms in postgraduate education, have training implications for surgical skills acquisition in a climate of reduced clinical exposure. Confidence and prior experience influences the educational impact of learning. Currently there is no basic surgical skills (BSS) programme integrated into undergraduate curricula in the United Kingdom. We explored the role of a dedicated BSS programme for undergraduates in improving confidence and influencing careers in King's College London School of Medicine, and the programme was evaluated. METHODS: A programme was designed in-line with the established Royal College of Surgeons course. Undergraduates were taught four key skills over four weeks: knot-tying, basic-suturing, tying-at-depth and chest-drain insertion, using low-fidelity bench-top models. A Likert-style questionnaire was designed to determine educational value and influence on career choice. Qualitative data was collected. RESULTS: Only 29% and 42% of students had undertaken previous practice in knot-tying and basic suturing, respectively. 96% agreed that skills exposure prior to starting surgical rotations was essential and felt a dedicated course would augment undergraduate training. There was a significant increase in confidence in the practice and knowledge of all skills taught (p<0.01), with a greater motivation to be actively involved in the surgical firm and theatres. CONCLUSION: A simple, structured BSS programme can increase the confidence and motivation of students. Early surgical skills targeting is valuable for students entering surgical, related allied, and even traditionally non-surgical specialties such as general practice. Such experience can increase the confidence of future junior doctors and trainees. We advocate the introduction of a BSS programme into United Kingdom undergraduate curricula.
Date Issued
2013-10-31
Date Acceptance
2013-10-24
Citation
Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 2013, 10
ISSN
1975-5937
Publisher
National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board of the Republic of Korea
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions
Volume
10
Copyright Statement
© 2013 National Health Personnel Licensing Examination Board of the Republic of Korea. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Subjects
Career choice
Confidence
Evaluation
Surgical skills
Undergraduate training
United Kingdom
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
10