Little is known about resident experiences of acquiring procedural skills proficiency, of practicing these techniques, or of being assessed on their proficiency.
Specifically, little is known about Internal Medicine residents' individual experiences of 1) learning and acquiring procedural skills proficiency, 2) of practicing these techniques, or 3) of being assessed on their proficiency.
By using this OSCE as a stimulus for prompting reflection, we hoped to begin to describe some of the basic principles that are common across trainee experiences of acquiring procedural skill proficiency.
The participants stated that it was necessary to have their proficiency in procedural skills evaluated.
Study participants confirmed that it is important to acquire and be able to demonstrate proficiency in procedural skills.
Proficiency in procedural skills is an important training objective for Internal Medicine residents according to North American accrediting and certifying bodies [ 1- 3].
The second phase necessary to develop proficiency in procedural skills should again be learner-centered with a patient-focused simulation as described by Kneebone [ 59].
Participants reported that, at the time of the study, they were responsible for directing the acquisition of and the attainment of proficiency in procedural skills.
Assessment tools to measure proficiency in procedural skills have been created relying on methods such as the McGill Inanimate System for Training and Evaluation of Laparoscopic Skills (MISTELS) and the Imperial College Surgical Assessment Device ICSADD) [ 21, 22].
