Nurses training doctors: evaluation of a fifth year medical school pilot

In October 2004 a request was made to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine to support a pilot project for a leading Midlands medical school. The aim of the project was to standardize clinical skills training for medical students prior to House Officer jobs. Experienced military emergency nurses provided clinical training including cannulation, catheterization and phlebotomy in a simulated environment. All fifth year medical students attending clinical skills training were invited to complete post-training evaluation questionnaires. The project was evaluated positively and there was an excellent response to nurses training doctors. There was a statistically significant improvement in post-training confidence. All medical students passed their practical assessment following the training programme. This pilot project has been highly successful and has subsequently been extended to all fifth year students at the medical school. The range of clinical skills taught by nurses has also been widened.