The development of a comprehensive school-wide simulation-based procedural skills curriculum for medical students.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of using the Delphi process to create a structured simulation-based procedural skills curriculum for all students at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (KSOM). METHODS The Delphi process was used to develop a list of procedural skills that students are expected to perform competently prior to graduation. Once consensus of faculty was reached, a needs assessment was performed to poll graduating seniors' experience performing each skill. A comprehensive simulation-based curriculum was developed and implemented for all Year II students at KSOM. Student satisfaction with the curriculum was collected using a standardized end-of-session evaluation form and student self confidence was assessed using a retrospective pre- and post-self-efficacy rating for each skill. RESULTS The needs assessment clearly established the need for a more organized approach to teaching procedural skills at KSOM. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that students responded favorably to the curriculum and appreciated the efforts put forth by KSOM. Student self-efficacy increased significantly for each skill. CONCLUSIONS The Delphi process was effective in reaching consensus among educational leaders at KSOM regarding which skills to include in the curriculum. Although there were a few minor challenges, we determined that it is feasible to develop and implement an explicit school-wide simulated-based procedural skills curriculum.