Technical-Skills Training in the 21st Century

Abstract

Medical education is undergoing a paradigm shift, from the traditional experience-based model to a program that requires documentation of proficiency.¹ Technological advances in health care, the development of day-case surgery, and the setting of quality-assurance targets have led to a striking reduction in training opportunities for young doctors. It is no longer acceptable, or appropriate, for students at any level of training to practice new skills on patients, even if they have a patient's explicit consent.