THE VIEWS OF SENIOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG DOCTORS OF THEIR TRAINING IN ASKILLS LABORATORY

The study was carried out in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Scienc es (FMHS), United Arab Emirates (UAE) University, UAE, where a skills laboratory was set up in 1988 to train medical students in clinical sk ills before they use such skills on patients. The students learn clini cal skills using simulated patients, models and mannequins. The traini ng starts in the first year of the 6-year undergraduate curriculum and continues until the end of the fourth year, after which students rota te through the clinical specialties. This study sought to identify: (1 ) the views of senior clerks (sixth year) and interns (first postgradu ate year) regarding the clinical skills training in the skills laborat ory (SKL) during the early years of the medical curriculum; (2) the di fferences in views between senior clerks and interns; (3) the differen ces in views between women and men students. Students' views about com munication, interviewing, physical examination, therapeutic, diagnosti c and laboratory skills were investigated. The results indicated that prior training in clinical skills was helpful to the senior clerks and the interns. Statistically significant differences in opinion were no ted between the senior clerks and the interns, the interns being more positive about the usefulness of the SKL training compared with learni ng clinical skills directly on patients. There was no difference betwe en men and women students except that women students were not comforta ble with allowing their peers to examine any part of their bodies. The findings of the study have direct implications for the SKL programme.