Clinical skills teaching -con brio

摘要

I'm writing this in the sumptuous setting of the city of Prato in Tuscany, where the Monash Prato Centre is hosting the 2nd International Clinical Skills Conference, bringing together an eclectic group of educators from around the world. Although focussed primarily on 'clinical skills', the themes of the conference are broad: practising safely and professionally; developing competent skills for practice; preparing health professionals for the world of work; and improving simulation for learning. There have been plenary addresses on assessment of professionalism, transfer of skills from classroom to workplace, making simulation more authentic, gender differences in medical education, and teaching and assessment about patient safety, as well as workshops on wide range of topics. It's gratifying to note that most of the papers in this issue of The Clinical Teacher (indeed in all issues so far) would sit very comfortably in the conference programme.