The seamless transition from student to intern: from theory to practice

Abstract

Many publications have highlighted a lack of practical competencies in recently qualified interns. Consultation between the University of Queensland and the Medical Education Unit at Redcliffe Hospital identified key areas where intervention could lead to greater work readiness, and the development of a complementary programme of practical workshops to remedy those deficiencies. A variety of content experts introduced the Graduate Medical Course 3 and 4 students to a range of practical skills during a dedicated lunch time one hour workshop each week over a period of 30 weeks. Several sessions were audited by the trainers though the majority of sessions used self-evaluation by the participants. There was an overall self-reported increase in the ability to perform the tasks from 25% before the session to 90% afterwards. Seven of the participants are returning to the hospital as interns, and a follow-up survey will be performed to judge the usefulness of the programme.

‘Thrown in at the Deep End’: The Experience of Graduates of Transnational Western Medical Education Transitioning into Middle Eastern Clinical Practice

“…The expectation of being given responsibility was high before starting work but in reality it either didn't materialise or they were given a small amount. It was not unusual for junior doctors to have expectations of being given a lot more responsibility before they started work and then being disappointed when they started work (Costello et al 2010). Luckily, this changed quickly once senior doctors started trusting their abilities affording them more responsibility and certain amount of autonomy.…”

Transitioning from university to postgraduate medical training: A narrative review of work readiness of medical graduates

“…There were a further 10 studies including literature reviews, commentaries, and editorials (Table 1). Study participants included final‐year medical students, 6‐25 junior doctors early in their first postgraduate year, 3,13,14,16‐19,26‐42 junior doctors late in internship (>6 months) or in postgraduate year 2 or above 2,14,16,22,24,35,38,42‐57 (Table 1). Twenty‐one studies incorporated feedback or reports from clinical supervisors or training managers 5,7,13,14,17‐19,22,25,31,35,36,39,43,45,55,58‐61 (Table 1).…”

“…Interns and students valued feedback on performance, particularly from consultants. 3,10,25,30,37,58 Supervision and feedback are important particularly when faced with difficult circumstances, dying or distraught patients, areas highlighted by both interns and clinicians as challenging. Many of these situations are typical of after-hours work when interns are relatively isolated and supervision less readily available.…”

“…Original research -Longitudinal follow-up Medical students Scicluna 19 Iling 2013 14 Iling 2008 13 Kelly 37 Rothwell 18 Watmough 22 Junior doctors Goldacre 2010 50 Gome 30 Other Literature review Alexander, 63 Brinkman, 64 Monrouxe 2017, 65 Tallentire 2012 66 Commentary/Editorial Cleland, 67 Dewan, 68 Murray, 75 Tweed, 71 Sen Gupta, 58 Wackett 79 students, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] junior doctors early in their first postgraduate year, 3,13,14,[16][17][18][19][26][27][28][29][30]…”

“…46 Around one-third of studies deliberately examined effects of interventions during the transition from student to junior doctor on self-reported preparedness. Transitional interventions associated with improved preparedness included clinical simulation of intern tasks (eg, emergency ward calls), 21,22,54,67 small group workshops during clinical clerkships, 10 preinternship terms or education packages, 15,19,20,41 boot-camp style courses, 7,16,34,59 an integrated clinical orientation/ team handover, 40 or a student mentor scheme. 24…”