Nursing faculty teaching basic skills to medical students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Nursing Education
• Clinical Skills Training

Background:

• Traditional medical education often employs a 'see one, do one, teach one' model for basic skills.
• Nursing education utilizes a more intensive, competency-based approach to skills acquisition.
• Limited research evaluates medical student skills training led by nursing faculty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate an innovative teaching strategy where nursing faculty instruct medical students in clinical skills.
• To assess medical student perceptions of a skills laboratory led by nursing faculty.

Main Methods:

• A four-hour, hands-on clinical skills training laboratory was designed and delivered by nursing faculty.
• 176 medical students participated and provided evaluations on the laboratory and their skill preparedness.
• Data collected included student satisfaction, perceived content appropriateness, and relevance.

Main Results:

• 94% of medical students rated the laboratory as outstanding or good.
• 94% found the content appropriate, and 96% deemed it highly relevant.
• Students reported increased preparedness after the laboratory compared to before and to previous cohorts.

Conclusions:

• Nursing faculty can effectively teach specific clinical skills to medical students.
• This collaborative approach is well-received by medical students, enhancing their skills and preparedness.
• The initiative provides positive exposure to nurses as expert educators.