How to teach practical skills in medicine: out of hospital training

“See one, do one, teach one” is the traditional paradigm for teaching medicine while working, the apprenticeship model. This paradigm is based on training during long working hours and with evaluation by mentors1. More recently, medical education is turning towards more structured programmes of teaching skills, where formal training can be objectively assessed using competency-based assessment2. At an undergraduate level this is driven by the requirement of a newly-qualified doctor to be familiar with basic competencies required for clinical work; these competencies are often assumed by other members of the healthcare team and are desired by the undergraduate students themselves. In fact, students themselves have requested training in particular practical techniques such as venepuncture, catheterisation and suturing in order to better prepare themselves for the practicalities of working life3.