Effect of early clinical skills teaching on 3rd year medical students' learning: The student perspective

ObjectivesThe main purpose of the early introduction of Clinical Skills Learning (CSL) to pre-clinical years is to allow medical students to gain experience in clinical examination skills, basic medical procedures, history-taking and clinical communication. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the early teaching of clinical skills in preparing medical students for their clinical years.MethodsA validated questionnaire assessing the value of CSL on students in their first clinical year was distributed to 3rd year medical students. The questionnaire consisted of 8 items with a five-point Likert scale and one open-ended question.ResultsThe response rate to the questionnaire was approximately 62%. Nearly 97 (70.8%) students suggested that CSL was a favourable teaching strategy. A high percentage of students (90.5%) agreed that CSL was a useful pre-clinical module to prepare them for their clinical years. The students gave positive feedback on the teaching of history-taking and physical examination, exposure to the hospital environment and acquisition of communication skills with supervisors and patients. No student perceived the CSL module as poor.ConclusionsEarly CSL was well-perceived by students in preparing them for their clinical years. CSL is a vital part of the pre-clinical curriculum and should be further enriched with frequent hospital visits to enhance students' confidence level and performance when interacting with patients during their clinical years.