Teaching anaesthetics to medical students. The design and evaluation of a course in a new clinical school.

The paper describes the rationale and implementation of anaesthetics teaching in the new 2 1/4-year clinical medical course at Cambridge University. A programme designed to monitor and evaluate the teaching established, and the results are reported. Significant improvements in students' knowledge of anaesthetics and their experience of practical procedures were noted, as compared to a control group. It is concluded tha the course achieves the dual aims of providing an introduction to the scope and vocabulary of modern anaesthesia and giving students the opportunity to practise a variety of specified practical skills.