Encouraging teaching and presentation skills

Background: After qualifying from medical school, doctors are expected to present on a regular basis in formal settings. It is important to acquire presenting skills early, so that students can practise and improve this skill prior to graduating. Context: Many medical students at Manchester University wanted more emphasis on presenting formally to give them experience prior to qualifying. There were other problems during the Psychiatry block that included non-attendance of students and clinicians for teaching sessions, and difficulty covering all aspects of the syllabus within a 4-week block. Innovation: Several presentation topics were devised on mental health based on the syllabus, for a pair of medical students to present to their peers within the Psychiatry block. A presentations skills training session was delivered at the start of each block. Students presented in pairs, chaired by a senior clinician. This was often the first time they had presented formally with formative, structured feedback. Clinical implications: This new addition to the available teaching was well received, and benefitted presenters, learners and facilitators alike: the presenters felt that they had obtained a deeper understanding of their chosen topic (all taken from the syllabus, and so relevant to their needs); the peer group wanted to listen to their colleagues present, thereby improving attendance rates; and busy clinicians were more likely to facilitate, as they did not have to prepare presentations and could practise their chairing and feedback skills. It represented an easy, reproducible and effective way of delivering teaching in a non-threatening environment that could be replicated in other specialties.