Practical procedures in internal medicine: a workshop for fourth-year medical students

A series of workshops demonstrating technical skills and practical procedures in internal medicine was conducted for fourth-year medical students. With the chance to observe and in some situations to perform the technical procedures under supervision, the students could become familiar with these techniques before beginning their residencies. Students from 13 medical schools participated. The consensus of the students was that this aspect of their training was neglected in medical school, that the experience was very valuable, and that additional procedure-oriented opportunities were necessary.