How a single medical teaching programme boosted surgical confidence in Sandwell

Health · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Medical students at Sandwell Hospital once reported low confidence in surgical and peri-operative care. However, a new, iteratively refined teaching programme, 'SPC Made Easy', has demonstrated significant improvements in both student knowledge and practical clinical examination skills.

The 'SPC Made Easy' programme was developed by Clinical Teaching Fellows for Year 4 medical students undertaking a five-week attachment at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. The programme tackled a frequent problem within undergraduate surgical training: irregular teaching prospects and insufficient organised readiness for surgical assessments and peri-operative management. The initiative was specifically designed to address the challenges faced by students during the University of Birmingham's Surgery and Peri-operative Care module.

The curriculum was not static; it evolved based on direct student feedback. Initially, the programme included quiz-style consolidation, but this was removed after students reported it offered limited educational value. In its place, the programme incorporated practical clinical skills training using models and mannequins, covering essential tasks such as digital rectal, breast, and testicular examinations. The sessions were structured as six two-hour blocks and were delivered by a combination of resident doctors and Clinical Teaching Fellows.

An evaluation of the programme showed measurable progress. While 43 students completed pre-programme questionnaires, 20 returned post-programme assessments. The results indicated that self-rated knowledge improved across all seven studied surgical and peri-operative domains. Specifically, statistically significant improvements were noted in areas including anaesthetics, ENT surgery, urology, orthopaedic surgery, and post-operative care. The median ratings for knowledge across most domains rose from an initial 1-2 to between 4 and 5 following the training. The most substantial gains were observed in the fields of ENT, urology, orthopaedics, and post-operative care.

Beyond theoretical knowledge, the programme's use of case-based learning and supervised, peer-led mock Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) boosted confidence in practical tasks. This included improvements in surgical history taking and the ability to provide feedback to peers. All respondents in the evaluation stated they would recommend the programme to future students. The evaluation utilized independent samples and Mann-Whitney U tests to analyze the anonymous data collected from the participants.

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