Introduction:

To ensure that all new West Midlands Paediatric Trainees are equipped with the skills and confidence to start their new role as a paediatrician, the Wolverhampton Paediatric Simulation Team designed the Paediatric ST1 Skills and Drills Day with support of the deanery. The day has been hugely successful since it began in 2017, consisting of both practical procedures as well as simulation scenarios, including a relay scenario, that allows the development and discussion of non-technical skills. Trainees attending the course will have varying previous experiences in paediatrics with some having never worked in this field before, therefore, this day equips trainees with vital technical and non-technical skills and has shown to have greatly improved confidence levels in those candidates participating on the course [1].

Methods:

A retrospective review of pre- and post-course questionnaire answers. A total of 120 candidates were surveyed over 6 years with regards to their confidence levels with each skill before and after undertaking the course by ranking their confidence on a Likert scale. The specific skills for the day include 12-lead ECGs, lumbar punctures, urinary catheters, long lines and intraosseous (IO) insertion. We also have many free-text comments from candidates stating how valuable the sessions are and what a fantastic day it is.

Results:

There was, overall, a vast improvement in confidence levels across all skills with the largest improvement seen in IO insertion with confidence levels at ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ increasing from 10% to 81%. The other skills showed a total average combined improvement in confidence levels of 52%, ranging from a 48% increase in lumbar punctures and 55% for long line insertion. Examples of specific comments we received include “Fantastic sessions, would love more simulation as it is invaluable as a learning tool”, “Most useful teaching day I’ve had to date!” and “Lovely Sim Team. Very useful topics for a paed rotation”.

Discussion:

It is vital that we support and equip new paediatric doctors with the skills and confidence to commence their new role. Having the opportunity to practise both technical and non-technical skills in a safe environment has proven to be invaluable to those undertaking the course and has shown to greatly improve candidate’s confidence and preparedness for life as a paediatrician. Going forward, we would like to contact those who have attended this course over the past 6 years to see how it may have influenced or improved their practice.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met.

The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.

References

1. NHS West Midlands Workforce Deanery (2010): Applications of simulation in health professional education and beyond.