The role of the Skills Laboratory in the integrated curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University

Abstract

The old curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), which was recently revised, still applies to the 1989 student intake. It comprises 2 preparatory years, 3 medical years and 2 final clinical years. Clinical teaching is introduced from the first medical year. Clinical skills are first learned in the Skills Laboratory (SKL), using simulations, before application to real patients. The SKL role is primarily knowledge consolidation, motivation and integration. A formative objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was recently introduced as a teaching tool. Weaknesses of clinical skills were identified. Tutors' feedback and guidance resulted in a significant improvement of students' performance and helped standardize procedures. It was concluded that the SKL is a useful clinical teaching setting, especially when clinical teaching is introduced early in the curriculum. It provides both horizontal and longitudinal integration through a motivating curriculum. The formative OSCE was a successful exercise for further integration and standardization, and it significantly improved student skills performance.