P42 Evaluating interprofessional simulation for pre-registration doctors: factor analysis of the hidden curriculum

BackgroundThe General Medical Council recognises assistantships in preparing final year medical students for their first clinical job. These placements focus on shadowing junior doctors to help develop understanding of professional norms, system workings and to practice common skills. We aimed to investigate whether simulation could have an added benefit to this placement.Summary of workMedical students were recruited during their assistantship period at a single district general hospital. A 21-item scale was designed by consensus to measure self-rated confidence in areas of practice considered common for junior doctors. Participants completed assessments at the start of their shadowing and before and after an interprofessional simulation session at the end of the placement. Non-parametric significance testing was used to assess individual changes in confidence. Factor Analysis was employed to examine construct validity of the scale.Summary of results25 students completed assessments. Average pre-placement confidence ranged from 20.5% to 57.5% across the 21 items. There was a significant increase in confidence after the shadowing in 18 of 21 items (p