Nursing faculty teaching basic skills to medical students

Abstract

Medical education often uses a ‘see one, do one, teach one’ approach to teaching basic skills, whereas nursing education uses a more intense, competency based approach. Many nursing faculty become experts in teaching skills; however, there is little literature evaluating medical student skills training led by nursing faculty. The purpose of this paper is to describe and report initial evaluation data on an innovative teaching strategy using nursing faculty to teach specific skills to medical students. Nursing faculty designed a hands-on four hour clinical skills training laboratory for medical students. All (176) medical students completed and evaluated this skills laboratory and their own preparation for these skills. Medical students felt the laboratory was outstanding or good (94%), the content was at an appropriate level (94%) and the relevance was high or medium (96%). Medical students felt more prepared to perform the skills after completing the skills laboratory than before, and when compared to previous medical students without the skills laboratory. Many medical students commented positively about the nursing faculty. Nursing faculty teaching specific skills to medical students is acceptable and effective and provides medical students with positive exposure to nurses as experts.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephanie A. Elms

STEPHANIE ELMS, RN, MSN, is the Director of Clinical Skills at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas. She serves on the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, as well as the Visualization and Simulation Committee.

Heidi Chumley

HEIDI CHUMLEY, MD, is the Family Medicine Director of Predoctoral Education at Kansas University School of Medicine. She serves on the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine Education Committee, the alliance for Clinical Education and the AAMC taskforce on the Clinical Skills Education of Medical Students.