The acquisition of a range of clinical skills (communication skills, physical examination skills, procedural skills) is essential for clinical practice.

This module consists of programmed sessions dealing with communication skills, history-taking in clinical practice, physical examination skills, and clinical procedural skills. It builds on the clinical skills acquisition in Year 1 of the programme (i.e. Clinical Skills 1 - BM4011) such that students develop more sophisticated skills as the programme evolves. As in Year 1 (BM4011), there is structured teaching in physical examination skills, first aid, resuscitation and in a range of procedural skills. Teaching is integrated with that in the Knowledge of Health & Illness 2 (BM4002) module that runs simultaneously.

While the main focus is on the psychomotor domain, the manner in which the programme is horizontally integrated in all four years means that this module ovelaps significantly with the cognitive module in Year 2 (i.e. Knowledge of Health & Illness - BM4002).

While the main focus is on the psychomotor domain, the manner in which the programme is horizontally integrated in all four years means that this module overlaps significantly with the affective module in Year 2 (i.e. Professional Competencies - BM4022).

Recognise and be able to apply the principles of good communication Demonstrate proficiency in communicating with patients, relatives etc. Demonstrate proficiency in communicating with other health professionals and relevant public servants e.g. Gardai, Coroner etc. Demonstrate proficiency in communicating with the media and press Demonstrate proficiency in communicating as a teacher Demonstrate proficiency in communicating as a patient advocate Demonstrate proficiency in taking a medical history from patients relatives and others Demonstrate proficiency in undertaking a physical examination of patients Interpret results from history taking, physical examination and investigations Ascertain the correct diagnosis Formulate a management plan Record the clinical findings Perform first aid Perform basic resuscitation and basic life support for both adults and children Measure and record a range of physiological parameters Demonstrate proficiency in sampling bodily fluids Establish intraveneous access and administer parenteral fluids and drugs Demonstrate proficiency in catheterising a male and female patient Demonstrate proficiency at skin suturing, wound care and basic wound dressing Demonstrate proficiency at scrubbing up for surgical and sterile procedures

In Years 1 & 2, clinical skills teaching will largely be conducted in a purpose-built Clinical Skills Resource Centre on the UL campus. In line with international trends, many of the skills that medical students have traditionally learnt through real patients will instead be learnt through special equipment such as plastic models, part-task trainers and manikins, by peer-examination or by working with standardised patients and teaching associates. Such teaching resources have been developed in response to concerns about patient safety, to changes in patientsÆ awareness of their rights regarding participation in medical student training, patientsÆ expectations of positive outcomes from encounters with health professionals, medico-legal issues and the change in patient case mix in hospitals towards more acutely ill and short-stay patients. Much of the rationale for a Clinical Skills Resource Centre stems from the realisation that clinical skills should initially be learnt in a safe environment where patients cannot be harmed and students can develop skills without fear of embarrassment or of hurting patients. Each student will undergo four hours of clinical skills training per week under the direction/supervision of a team of Clinical Skills Tutors. Two hours of teaching will be highly structured requiring students to rotate through a number of skills ôstationsö. In this there will be a maximum of eight students to one tutor at any given time. Later in the week, another two hours of clinical skills teaching will allow students to independently revise/practise these skills. In this second session there will be a tutor on hand at all times should a learning difficulty arise. Instruction in clinical skills will include: - Communication skills (e.g. history-taking skills, listening counselling skills) - Physical examination skills (e.g. general physical examination, rectal, pelvic, breast, eye, ear, nose & throat examination) - Procedural skills (e.g. ECG recording, use of nebulisers and peak flow meters, injection techniques, venepuncture, first aid and basic life support) There will be an initial emphasis on listening, communication and history-taking skills. Later, communication skill teaching will become more sophisticated and include such communication skills as counselling and interacting with æchallengingÆ patients (e.g. patients from non-English speaking backgrounds; patients who are deaf, confused or have other problems with communication). Students will study physical examination skills relevant to the various body systems at the same time that they are studying these body systems through PBL - in other words clinical skills teaching will be horizontally integrated with PBL. Thus, for example, while studying the Life Support module in PBL, students will be studying those physical examination skills (e.g. cardiac auscultation) relevant to that system. Anatomical skills teaching will largely be delivered in small groups of six to eight students. Each student will undergo two hours of structured anatomical teaching each week in the Antatomical Skills Resource Centre where students will rotate through a number of skills ôstationsö, each devoted to one anatomical skill.