A nominal group technique to review undergraduate medical students’ training in emergency care

Abstract

Background. The management of clinical emergencies is an essential skill for medical practitioners; therefore, proper training in these skills is crucial. This is a review of emergency care training by recent graduates of a medical programme to provide feedback on the usefulness of their training experience for entry into clinical practice. Academic clinicians working in the clinical environment, who provide the training, and academic managers who manage the training programme, could provide valuable inputs into reviewing the emergency care training programme contextualised for the uniquely South African challenges.Objectives. To obtain and prioritise experience-based and relevant suggestions for improving the current teaching and to invite comment on the suggestions from the relevant managers.Methods. Research was conducted in three phases using a nominal group technique to review an undergraduate medical programme. In the first phase, recent graduates from the existing programme identified its strengths and weaknesses. In the second phase, academic clinicians and technical experts provided suggestions for addressing these challenges. In the third phase, data obtained were discussed with academic managers responsible for the undergraduate medical programme.Results. Findings were grouped into thematic categories: skills and short courses, module structure and content, experiential learning opportunities, health professions educational practice and interprofessional education. Opportunities to gain experience in emergencies in different clinical fields and as a multi-professional team, both in simulation and real-life practice, were among the highlights of the findings.Conclusion. Many of the suggested improvements, such as a dedicated emergency care module, and more simulated and small-group case-based teaching, are achievable with the given resources. Additionally, with recent changes due to the COVID‑19 pandemic and lockdown, an environment for change that benefits online content delivery was created. The creation of longitudinal themes will be an enhancement of the current programme.