University Clinic for Clinical Skills

The University Clinic for Clinical Skills was established in 2012 under the name Fundamental Clinical Skills, coordinated by Dr. Florin Iosif Cobzariu. Since 2013, the discipline has been operating in the basement of the second medical building, within the Simulation Center for Practical Clinical Skills Training, with five practical work rooms, one lecture hall, and two offices.

In 2016, Dr. Teodora Hoinoiu took over as head of the discipline, becoming its first chair. Currently, the discipline consists of a team of teachers with multiple specialties, who combine practical work and scientific research at international standards. Teaching is dynamic, student-centered, and addresses practical topics through case presentations and the performance of standardized medical procedures using resuscitation mannequins and simulators of complex clinical situations.

The Clinical Skills Center is an institution dedicated and renovated specifically for the clinical development of general medicine students, nurses, and doctors in training. The center provides a safe environment for teaching and learning clinical and communication skills, where students can practice before performing practical maneuvers and skills on patients.

The center provides additional resources and training to supplement basic and clinical education, to support doctors in training, and ultimately to improve the care that doctors from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timișoara provide to patients.

The center aims to ensure both the quality of clinical teaching and learning opportunities, as well as to ensure the development of appropriate clinical skills for medical students and resident physicians. The center’s staff, in collaboration with the heads of medical disciplines, will facilitate the delivery and coordination of learning events within the Clinical Skills Center.

The practical work involves the participation of students, organized into working groups of 2-4 students. The topics of the practical work include an introductory session dedicated to occupational safety training, 14 practical topics, and a review session. At the first meeting, students receive a printed guide on the activities within the center and how they will be assessed. Theoretical knowledge related to the work to be performed is tested using multiple-choice tests, similar in spirit to those used in residency programs. The practical exam consists of an assessment of the practical skills taught during the semester. The practical exam is eliminatory, in the sense that students who do not pass this exam are declared to have failed. If they pass, the grade obtained in the practical exam represents 50% of the overall grade, which is calculated by averaging it with the result of the theoretical exam.

Objectives

1. To initiate and develop the teaching of basic practical clinical skills for students in a safe and structured environment by consolidating existing knowledge and clinical learning
2. To support the transition of the student’s clinical skills learning from the simulated training environment to the clinical setting with patients
3. To provide a structured assessment center for clinical skills and other competencies, including continuing accreditation
4. To ensure that students receive consistent teaching opportunities during their adaptation to clinical education while sharing educational resources with younger colleagues
5. Integrate the learning of practical clinical skills with communication and teamwork skills – allowing the patient experience in the clinical encounter to remain central to the development of the student’s clinical skills
6. Promote the clinical development of physicians, enable research and continuing medical education