Medical Student Survival Skills: Procedural Skills

Medical students encounter many challenges on their path to success, from managing their time, applying theory to practice, and passing exams. The Medical Student Survival Skills series helps medical students navigate core subjects of the curriculum, providing accessible, short reference guides for OSCE preparation and hospital placements. These guides are the perfect tool for achieving clinical success.

Medical Student Survival Skills: Procedural Skills is the ideal guide for medical students tasked with performing a core set of clinical procedures. A vital part of any medical training, these procedures range from basic body temperature and blood pressure measurements to more advanced arterial blood gas sampling and ophthalmoscopic techniques. This indispensable guide enables students to quickly lookup relevant information on the go, carry out clinical procedures with minimal supervision and apply procedural knowledge to their OSCE exams.

CONTENTS

1 Measuring body temperature

2 Measuring pulse & blood pressure

3 Transcutanous monitoring of oxygen saturation

4 Peak respiratory flow

5 Venepuncture

6 Managing blood samples correctly

7 Taking blood cultures

8 Measuring blood glucose

9 Setting up an ECG monitor

10 Performing a 12 lead electrocardiogram

11 Basic respiratory function tests

12 Urine multi-dipstick test

13 Advising patients on how to collect a mid-stream urine specimen

14 Taking nose, throat and skin swabs

15 Pregnancy testing

16 Administering oxygen

17 Airway management: insertion of oropharyngeal airway

18 Ventilation: pocket mask & self-inflating bag

19 Defibrillation (manual & automated)

20 In-hospital resuscitation

21 Establishing peripheral intravenous access and setting up an infusion;

22 Use of infusion devices

23 Making up drugs for parenteral administration

24 Dosage and administration of insulin and use of sliding scales

25 Subcutaneous and intramuscular injections

26 IV injections

27 Blood transfusion: whole blood, red cells, platelets

28 Male and female urinary catheterization

29 Instructing patients in the use of devices for inhaled medication

30 Skin suturing

31 Application of a sling

32 Safe disposal of clinical waste, needles and other ‘sharps’

33 Arterial blood gas sampling

34 Examination of the ear

35 Ophthalmoscopy

36 Relieving foreign body airway obstruction

Phil Jevon is Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Birmingham Medical School and Academy Manager and Tutor, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Manor Hospital, Walsall, UK.

Ruchi Joshi is Consultant A & E, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and Senior Academy Tutor, Walsall Teaching Academy, Walsall, UK.