BACKGROUND: The department of psychiatry of the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø sought to improve suicide prevention skills among medical students through a workshop on applied suicide intervention skills training (ASIST). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over the course of the academic year 1998/99, 76 medical students attended workshops. Results were assessed through focus group interviews. RESULTS: By the end of the workshop, students reported more professional confidence and better skills in suicide intervention. They found it very useful to get this opportunity to role-play situations and receive feedback on their own behaviour. Working with suicidal patients is a great and challenging responsibility and students were well aware of the importance of paying attention to the boundaries between one's professional and one's private life. They reported that they saw the benefits of working with caregivers from other professions. CONCLUSION: The workshop appears to enhance suicide intervention skills and will continue to be a part of the clerkship in psychiatry at the University of Tromsø.
BACKGROUND: The department of psychiatry of the University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø sought to improve suicide prevention skills among medical students through a workshop on applied suicide intervention skills training (ASIST). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Over the course of the academic year 1998/99, 76 medical students attended workshops. Results were assessed through focus group interviews. RESULTS: By the end of the workshop, students reported more professional confidence and better skills in suicide intervention. They found it very useful to get this opportunity to role-play situations and receive feedback on their own behaviour. Working with suicidal patients is a great and challenging responsibility and students were well aware of the importance of paying attention to the boundaries between one's professional and one's private life. They reported that they saw the benefits of working with caregivers from other professions. CONCLUSION: The workshop appears to enhance suicide intervention skills and will continue to be a part of the clerkship in psychiatry at the University of Tromsø.