Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Learning Modern Laryngeal Surgery in a Dissection Laboratory
Published on: March 18, 2020
Evaluating the Utility of a Near-Peer Situation-Based Course to Prepare Medical Students for the UK Foundation
Aleksandra Dunin-Borkowska1, Alexandra M Cardoso Pinto1, Joshua Xu1
1Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Background:
Starting the Foundation Programme can be challenging for many medical graduates, as medical school alone may not adequately prepare them for complex tasks like managing comorbidities or emergencies. Growing evidence supports the role of transition interventions to meet this knowledge gap, however data on the utility of situation-based learning are limited. This pilot study aimed to assess the efficacy of a near-peer case-based course in improving knowledge and preparedness for foundation training in recent medical graduates.
Methods:
Recent Imperial College graduates who attended a "Junior Doctor on Call" course were eligible for inclusion. This transition intervention, designed and delivered by a Foundation Year 1 doctor, covered six patient cases that integrated high-yield clinical concepts and practical tips. An online questionnaire was distributed one week before and after the course to assess perceptions of knowledge, confidence, and preparedness for training. Participants were also invited to attend an online semi-structured after the course.
Results:
Out of 19 attendees, 17 (89.5% response rate) completed the pre-course questionnaire, 14 (73.7% response rate) completed the post-course questionnaire, and 3 completed the interview. 68.75% (n=11) had not previously attended a preparatory course for foundation training. Results demonstrated that 85.7% of participants felt more knowledgeable than before in the key topics covered. Participants also demonstrated an increase in self-rated confidence in commencing work as a junior doctor following the course, with 92.9% of participants stating that they felt more confident.
Conclusion:
This study offers support for short-term situation-based courses in enhancing medical students' knowledge and confidence for foundation training. These findings add to the growing evidence-base encouraging implementation of short-term courses in preparing for practice. However, further research on the utility of such transition interventions is critical to inform the development of evidence-based recommendations for recent medical graduates, educators, and programme directors.
More Related Videos
13:44Project-Based Learning Guidelines for Health Sciences Students: An Analysis with Data Mining and Qualitative Techniques
Published on: December 9, 2022
05:04Author Spotlight: Evaluating Clinicians' Adoption of Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Cannulation Through Simulation Training
Published on: August 9, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients
Survival Curves
The Kaplan-Meier estimator is the most common method for constructing survival curves. This...
Actuarial Approach
Consider the example of a high-risk surgical procedure with significant early-stage mortality. A two-year clinical study is conducted,...
Kaplan-Meier Approach
Comparing the Survival Analysis of Two or More Groups