Students sitting medical finals - ready to be house officers?

An. initial survey of students approaching qualification and the preregistr ation house officer year revealed anxiety about competence in several impor tant clinical skills. A questionnaire study was then undertaken to assess, first, the extent to which students had attained the skills required for th e preregistration year and, second, the amount of training in these skills provided during the preregistration year. 122 medical students taking their final examinations were asked about training and practice in eight core cl inical skills, and 84 graduates from the same school, approaching the end o f their preregistration year, were asked about postgraduate training in the se skills. The response rate of each group was 100%. Of the eight skills studied, most had been performed few times by the students at qualification. Less than h alf the current preregistration house officers could recall training being given in any of the skills studied. There were no significant differences i n house-officer training between teaching hospitals and district general ho spitals. Regarding needlestick injuries, nearly two-thirds of preregistrati on house officers were unable to recall any training at either undergraduat e or postgraduate level. These results suggest that training in clinical skills can be improved. Tra ining is already changing with use of clinical skills laboratories and logb ooks. We also recommend mandatory needlestick training both in undergraduat e programmes and in induction courses for preregistration house officers.