Essential Skills Program

The Essential Skills Program (ESP) is a student-led initiative built to address the challenges in achieving technical competency in training by providing the opportunity to teach and learn skills at the undergraduate medical school level. The ESP utilizes a low resource design consisting of a peer-assisted learning model and video assessment for feedback. Peer tutors are trained and verified by surgical experts, and lead participants through 6 main tasks, 3 open and 3 laparoscopic. Student learners attend two 2-hour sessions spread over 2 weeks, where they will video record their performance and submit their videos for feedback by tutors and surgical experts between sessions to allow for deliberate practice. The online platform, Learner’s Space, will be used for assessment, in the form of annotated video feedback, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, and Task-Specific Checklists by experts. Students completing the program and mastering the skills will be eligible to be tested as peer tutors for future cohorts. The goal of the program is to increase technical skills exposure for student learners and develop teaching skills of student tutors.