Abstract

Background: A clinical skills session is a method of learning that focuses on performing procedures rather than receiving the information in a classical lecturing method. In a clinical session, undergraduate students acquire the clinical skills required for clinical practice, including history taking, examination skills, procedural skills, treatment planning, and communication skills.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was done at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from October 2018 to April 2019. The sample consisted of students from the preclinical and clinical phases and male and female students (n = 323).
Results: The study included 323 medical students. Almost half (47%, n = 152) of the students had a good perception of the effectiveness of the clinical skills sessions. There was a significant difference between the perception scores and gender in all the domains. No significant differences were identified in the preclinical and clinical years regarding the tutor and the content domain. However, the preclinical students rated the organization domain higher.
Conclusion: The research indicated that the sample did not positively perceive the effectiveness of the clinical skill sessions they received in their years of training. The College of Medicine should enhance and promote the importance of clinical skills to the medical students to improve their clinical performance and reduce medical errors and patient safety after graduation. The majority of the students were optimistic about the clinical skills tutors and the organization's effort.

Key words: Clinical Training, clinical skills, medical student perception, medical education, medical students comparison