Surgical dressers: the theatre experience of junior clinical students

The teaching of junior surgical dressers in theatre and on the wards was audited in a survey organized by students over a 3-year period. The average dresser in Birmingham, England spent 5 1/2 hours per week in theatre and was scrubbed for more than half of that time. Most students found their time in theatre both instructive and enjoyable. No major differences in teaching practices were found between teaching and peripheral hospitals.