DR WHO: a workshop for house officer preparation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Critical Care

Background:

• Newly qualified doctors require proficiency in advanced life support (ALS) and critical care.
• Current undergraduate medical education lacks specific training in assessing and treating critically ill patients.
• Postgraduate critical care courses are popular, indicating a need for earlier training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel undergraduate course, the Direct Response Workshop for House Officer Preparation (DR WHO).
• To assess the effectiveness of the DR WHO course in preparing final year medical students for critical care scenarios.
• To compare student confidence and competence in ALS and critical care after the ILS and DR WHO courses.

Main Methods:

• Two cohorts of final year medical students were compared: one receiving the Intermediate Life Support (ILS) course (n=350) and the other the DR WHO course (n=338).
• Student feedback was collected immediately post-course and again 4 months into their house officer roles.
• Competency in ALS was assessed via a practical examination, and confidence in critical care was measured through feedback forms.

Main Results:

• Both courses resulted in high ALS competency, with mean scores of 18.6/20 in practical examinations.
• Students who completed the DR WHO course reported significantly higher confidence in managing critically ill patients (89%) compared to those who took the ILS course (69%).
• Student and house officer feedback for the DR WHO course was positive, indicating popularity and practicality.

Conclusions:

• The DR WHO course is a popular and practical undergraduate training program for ALS and critical care.
• Further re-evaluation is necessary to ascertain the long-term competency of graduates trained with the DR WHO course.