Nicole L Brown1, Sebastian A Moshtael1, Michaela Rogers2, Idil Mohamed3, Ben Smith4, Christopher T Rimmer5, Adeel Hamad6, Angela Yan7.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In April 2020, a new workforce of clinical assistants (CAs), comprising predominantly of medical students, began work at Northampton General Hospital. Clinical-years students had a role similar to final-year student assistants; pre-clinical students were offered a healthcare assistant role. This research aimed to evaluate both CAs' and clinicians' perceptions of this programme.
METHODS: Separate questionnaires were developed for CAs and clinicians, assessing the scheme's successes and failures. Data analysis was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Forty-nine CAs and 60 clinicians responded. CAs of all years were completing the higher-level role. They were perceived to improve continuity of care (74% CA agreement; 88% clinician agreement), reduce clinician workload (90% clinician agreement) and felt significantly more confident with practical and administrative tasks. Sixty-eight per cent of CAs and 72% of clinicians believed the role should be available to students before their final year. © Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION: In April 2020, a new workforce of clinical assistants (CAs), comprising predominantly of medical students, began work at Northampton General Hospital. Clinical-years students had a role similar to final-year student assistants; pre-clinical students were offered a healthcare assistant role. This research aimed to evaluate both CAs' and clinicians' perceptions of this programme.
METHODS: Separate questionnaires were developed for CAs and clinicians, assessing the scheme's successes and failures. Data analysis was carried out using MS Excel and SPSS. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Forty-nine CAs and 60 clinicians responded. CAs of all years were completing the higher-level role. They were perceived to improve continuity of care (74% CA agreement; 88% clinician agreement), reduce clinician workload (90% clinician agreement) and felt significantly more confident with practical and administrative tasks. Sixty-eight per cent of CAs and 72% of clinicians believed the role should be available to students before their final year. © Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.
Entities:
Keywords:
assistantships; continuity of care; preparedness for practice
Year: 2021
PMID： 34888457 PMCID： PMC8651307 DOI： 10.7861/fhj.2021-0056
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Future Healthc J ISSN： 2514-6645