Practical skills aptitude

I've been procrastinating hard in this lockdown. I spent some watching videos about medical procedures performed by doctors. I was watching it and thinking if I was a doctor, and it was me in one of those videos, I'd be all over the place lmao.

How do medical applicants know they have sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, or the potential to develop sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, to perform procedures like the one in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyJkh-ghl70&list=PLwdd5t8c46G8zMeIqFzu2OG9aFND0_6m1&index=12)?

Reply 1

ForestCat

18

Original post by csnerd

I've been procrastinating hard in this lockdown. I spent some watching videos about medical procedures performed by doctors. I was watching it and thinking if I was a doctor, and it was me in one of those videos, I'd be all over the place lmao.

How do medical applicants know they have sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, or the potential to develop sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, to perform procedures like the one in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyJkh-ghl70&list=PLwdd5t8c46G8zMeIqFzu2OG9aFND0_6m1&index=12)?

I mean day to day we’re not putting in chest tubes, particularly not one for trauma patients.

Most of it is muscle memory. Practice practice practice. Most of the ‘skills’ we do day to day don’t require much dexterity/technical skill.

It may be more of an issue if you decide to be a surgeon. But again most of these things can be learned with practice.

Reply 2

Democracy

20

Original post by csnerd

I've been procrastinating hard in this lockdown. I spent some watching videos about medical procedures performed by doctors. I was watching it and thinking if I was a doctor, and it was me in one of those videos, I'd be all over the place lmao.

How do medical applicants know they have sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, or the potential to develop sufficient manual dexterity and motor skills, to perform procedures like the one in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyJkh-ghl70&list=PLwdd5t8c46G8zMeIqFzu2OG9aFND0_6m1&index=12)?

You learn the theory of it first so you know the relevant anatomy, familiarise yourself with the equipment, what to do if something goes wrong etc. After that it's just practice. For many procedures you can practice on mannequins or sims to begin with, but after that it's all about getting as much real life experience as possible.

Reply 3

csnerd

OP

17

Original post by Democracy

You learn the theory of it first so you know the relevant anatomy, familiarise yourself with the equipment, what to do if something goes wrong etc. After that it's just practice. For many procedures you can practice on mannequins or sims to begin with, but after that it's all about getting as much real life experience as possible.

i'm curious, what procedures are graduating medical students/incoming FY1s expected to be competent with, before leaving medical school? i watched a couple of documentaries about FY1/FY2s, and a couple of them were struggling to take blood samples.

Reply 4

Democracy

20

Original post by csnerd

i'm curious, what procedures are graduating medical students/incoming FY1s expected to be competent with, before leaving medical school? i watched a couple of documentaries about FY1/FY2s, and a couple of them were struggling to take blood samples.