ABOUT THE CLINICAL SKILLS LABORATORY
The SCM Skills Lab is a College of Health Sciences resource facility primarily for undergraduate students in the MBChB programme. It is located in Room 200 on the 2nd Floor of the Main Building with additional space on the 5th Floor. As well as teaching by our own dedicated staff, the Skills Lab also provides a resource to the clinical disciplines such as Paediatrics and O&G, and a service to disciplines in the School of Health Sciences (e.g. Dentistry emergency care training).
Our vision
Our vision is to teach students in a secure environment to develop meta-competencies as well as clinical skills and allow medical students to start to develop a professional identity. Clinical Skills teaching is also a method which assists pre-clinical and clinical students to integrate their clinical with basic science knowledge and prepare them for their clinical years and future professional lives.
Programmes offered
Skills taught by our dedicated team of clinicians and paramedics include Clinical and Emergency Skills in Years 1-4 of the MBChB programme.
We teach a range of clinical skills including Communication, Examination, Procedural Skills and Resuscitation skills, using various teaching methods, including small group learning, video-assisted learning, simulated patients and models.
Research
Staff who teach in the Facility are engaged in Masters, PhD and other research activities into a range of topics, such as the socio-demographic profiles of applicants and admitted students on the MBChB programme; transferability of communication skills from a simulated to a clinical setting; the effect of feedback on student learning; and communication as a core competency for medical students.
Community Engagement activities
The Skills Lab also offers its resources (equipment and staff) to our students, who then provide HIV Awareness and first aid training to community clinics, schools and religious organisations.
Our Staff
Head and Clinical Communication Dr Margaret Matthews
Skills Lab Manager and First Year Mr Rishi Premjith
Skills Lab Administrator Mr Wandile Mbanjwa
Emergency Care, Resuscitation and Fourth Year Skills Dr Navin Sunderlall
Second Year Clinical Skills Dr R Abraham
Third Year Clinical Skills Dr E Ntando
The Skills Lab is staffed by a head, manager, administrator, and full and part-time clinicians and paramedics. We have a varying range of qualifications, experience and interests, which contributes to the teaching and learning of students. We engage regularly with the disciplines in the review and updating of the skills taught in the various themes and modules.
Contact Skills Lab Administrator, Mr Wandile Mbanjwa Tel: 031 2604611E-mail: mbanjwaw@ukzn.ac.za