CST promotes the acquisition and consolidation of general and specific bedside medical skills by teaching and practising general history taking and examination techniques. In recent years, the use of CST videos has established itself as a valuable resource for medical students to learn and improve clinical skills. These allow students to practice on each other in a safe and controlled environment without endangering patients.
The decision «Plus100», i.e. to train 100 additional students each year, prompted the Medical Faculty of the University of Bern to reissue the old videos under the working title «Bern 36». These comprise 44 videos with a duration of between 10 and 30 minutes. Production had already begun before the Corona pandemic, which favoured rapid use for online teaching. A large part had to be produced later under time pressure and the protective measures imposed.
The videos, in combination with the practical lessons, serve as a basis for preparation and later for critical review of what has been learned. Realistic re-enacted doctor-patient interactions show students a variety of different scenarios, and thus a wide range of possible procedures.
CST videos also offer the opportunity to practice and improve skills even when patients are not available or ethical and legal restrictions prohibit practice with patients. However, they cannot replace actual clinical experience, but only serve as a valuable supplement.
In order to ensure the quality and realism of the videos, they were mostly produced with experts from the university environment or within the framework of Master's theses with students. An important role was also played by simulation persons who were used in the videos.
One challenge in using CST videos is to ensure that they are relevant to the needs of students and reflect the actual requirements of the clinical setting. Therefore, these videos are regularly updated and reviewed. The CST videos provide medical students with a valuable opportunity to learn and improve clinical skills. They serve as a supplement to practical experience and are of high quality, realistic and tailored to the needs of the students.
