Preparation for making clinical referrals

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Skills Training
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Transitioning from medical school to postgraduate practice presents challenges in applying learned knowledge to patient care.
• Clinical assistantships are crucial for UK medical students' transition into their roles as doctors.
• Developing effective clinical referral skills is essential for medical practice and maximizing the benefits of assistantships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a method for teaching clinical referrals to medical students.
• To enhance students' ability to contact colleagues for advice or services.
• To prepare students for essential clinical tasks in postgraduate practice.

Main Methods:

• A referrals workshop was developed using five diverse clinical cases presented in realistic scenarios.
• Students engaged in group activities, assimilating information and making simulated telephone referrals to faculty members.
• Each 90-minute session included personalized and group feedback for participants.

Main Results:

• The workshop was delivered to 108 students over two days, receiving positive feedback from both students and faculty.
• Participants highly valued the realism of simulated referrals and the constructive feedback provided.
• The activity was considered excellent preparation for making referrals in a professional setting.

Conclusions:

• The described learning activity addresses a key educational need by integrating prior learning with core clinical tasks.
• The practical, scalable, and replicable nature of the workshop allows for adaptation in various settings.
• This method provides valuable preparation for postgraduate medical practice, specifically in clinical referrals.