Preparing students to be doctors: introduction of a sub-internship program

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Medical schools face challenges preparing students for the transition to doctor roles.
• Graduated delegation of responsibility is advocated, with North American sub-internship programs serving as a model.
• European medical schools have been slow to adopt such structured transitional programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the introduction of a two-week surgical sub-internship for final-year medical students.
• To assess the program's impact on student readiness, skills, and attitudes towards internship.

Main Methods:

• An intensive two-week surgical sub-internship was implemented.
• Online questionnaires assessed student confidence in clinical and practical skills before and after the program.
• Attitudes towards the program and preparedness for internship were evaluated.

Main Results:

• Student confidence in practical and clinical skills significantly increased post-sub-internship.
• Mean Likert scores for all assessed practical and clinical skills showed improvement.
• The program was well-received by students, enhancing their preparedness for internship.

Conclusions:

• The introduction of a surgical sub-internship is a timely and effective educational intervention.
• This program successfully bridges the gap in responsibilities between medical students and newly qualified doctors.
• Surgical sub-internships are valuable for enhancing medical student preparedness for residency.