2010; 32: e276–e281 WEB PAPER Introducing clinical paediatrics to medical students: A novel hospital visitation programme involving Kindergarten children MIMI PHAM, BRONWYN CHAN, KATRINA WILLIAMS, KAREN ZWI & LES WHITE School of Women and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, Australia and Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia Abstract Background: Increasing numbers of medical students in Australia and shorter paediatric hospitalisations require new and creative ways to teach clinical paediatric medicine. At the University of New South Wales, Sydney, we developed a programme involving well Kindergarten children visiting Sydney Children’s Hospital to introduce medical students to clinical paediatric medicine. Aim: The aim was to teach medical students how to engage children and gain their cooperation while performing paediatric examinations. Methods: Eight sessions were conducted involving 240 Kindergarten students from seven local primary schools and 217 medical students. School children were escorted by medical students through five activities comprising examination of gross motor skills, testing visual acuity and otoscopy, measuring growth parameters, chest auscultation, pulse counting and blood pressure cuff inflation. Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative and qualitative evaluation data. Results: The programme achieved its main objective, with 94% of students rating highly their learning about interacting with children and appreciating the challenges in examining them. Medical students (94%), tutors (100%) and participating schools (100%) thought the programme should be continued. Conclusion: This new, innovative programme involving well children introduces medical students to clinical paediatric medicine. Introduction In Australia, in the past decade, seven new medical schools have opened and existing medical schools have expanded, with an expected 60% increase in medical students between 2005 and 2010 (Lennon 2005). This has resulted in an increase in demand for clinical teaching at a time when fewer hospitalisations with reduced length of stay occur (Crotty 2005). Of particular relevance to Sydney Children’s Hospital (SCH), the single tertiary paediatric hospital affiliated with the medical faculty at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, the demand for paediatric clinical teaching increased two- to three-fold during a recent restructure of the 6-year undergraduate course. In addition, there have always been competing demands for clinical teaching resources at SCH by resident and registrar doctors undertaking postgraduate and specialist training. The challenge is for medical students to acquire appropriate clinical experience in teaching hospitals because of the reduced availability of suitable patients (Olson et al. 2005). It is recognised, however, that early introduction to the clinical setting and patient contact is an invaluable part of medical education (Dornan & Bundy 2004; Dornan et al. 2006). The ‘meet the medical student’ programme was developed out of the need for new and creative ways to teach paediatrics to second-year medical students, given the relative patient shortage and the early stage of their training. This is a unique programme involving a cohort of well children visiting a hospital to help teach medical students the techniques employed in basic paediatric examination. It also highlights the role a university medical faculty and a Children’s Hospital can play within the community. The aims of this project were threefold. First, for medical students to learn how to engage children and gain their cooperation while performing basic paediatric examinations. Second, for Kindergarten students to become familiar with a Practice points . Medical students can learn how to engage children and gain children’s cooperation while performing basic paediatric examination. . Kindergarten students are able to become familiar with a hospital and student doctors, and consolidate classroom learning regarding health and the human body. . The programme promotes the important ongoing rela- tionship of the children’s hospital and its local primary schools. Correspondence: B. Chan, School of Women and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney Children’s Hospital, High St Randwick, Sydney, Australia. Tel: 61 238 21861; fax: 61 238 21401; email: Bronwyn.Chan@SESIAHS.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU e276 ISSN 0142–159X print/ISSN 1466–187X online/10/070276–6 ß 2010 Informa Healthcare Ltd. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2010.490279 Med Teach Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by 223.86.114.114 on 05/20/14 For personal use only.