Table 4 Student self perceived confidence in the performance of 15 common clinical skills
I feel confident and well equipped to undertake the following without direct supervision: | Percentage broad agreement |
|---|---|
Inspection of an episiotomy wound | 37.1 |
Postnatal breast examination | 39.2 |
Pelvic examination to assess uterine size, presence of mass, the adnexae and for tenderness and/or "cervical excitation" | 50.6 |
Assisting a woman to give birth normally, including delivery of the placenta (assume this is an unplanned delivery with a cephalic presentation at term in an emergency department) | 58.3 |
Taking an endocervical swab for chlamydia PCR testing | 66 |
Taking a vaginal swab for culture and sensitivity | 68.6 |
Taking a Pap smear | 71.8 |
Inspection of a caesarean section wound | 71.8 |
Locating the cervix using a vaginal speculum | 73.7 |
Abdominal examination to assess abdominopelvic masses | 79.4 |
Physical examination of a well term neonate (including examination of the hips) | 81.4 |
Inserting a wide bore IV cannula | 85.9 |
Measuring symphysial-fundal height in pregnancy | 96.1 |
Checking for the presence of a fetal heart using a hand-held Doppler ultrasound probe | 97.5 |
Measuring blood pressure in pregnancy | 99.3 |