Does doctors’ workload impact supervision and ward activities of final-year students? A prospective study

Table 1 Students diary

	1 = observed								2 = assisted
	3 = performed under supervision								4 = performed without
	or with feedback								supervision
Day Activity	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Administration of infusions
Arrangement/cancelling appointments for patients
Arterial punctures
Documentation
Drawing blood
ECG interpretation
Enquiring about results
History taking
Informative/explanatory consultations
Insertion of IV lines
Performance of errands
Physical examination
Prescriptions
Presentation of patients on ward rounds
Punctures of joints, pleura, paracentesis, etc.
Sorting files, copying
Transportation of patients
Ward rounds
Writing discharge letters
Other activities:
Comments:
Please note your satisfaction with your internship: □ very high □ high □ low □ very low.

Students completed a diary of their activities over a 15-day period and stated for specific activities whether they had (1) observed, (2) assisted, (3) performed them under supervision or (4) performed them without supervision. When the student recorded a medical activity with (3), it was counted as supervision. We then counted how many medical activities were recorded as (3) or (4) (actively performed medical activity) and how many non-medical activities were recorded with (3) or (4) (actively performed non-medical activity).