Introduction
Structured Clinical Instruction Modules (SCIMs) involving standardised role play are an innovative way for students to learn a variety of clinical skills in a safe, friendly environment for both the patient and student. The original mode of delivery and style was designed by a small surgical teaching team at the University of Kentucky (Sloan 1995). The School of Medicine at Flinders University, under a modified approach, has been using SCIMs for a number of years. These sessions have predominantly been education focused on the clinical environment (for example, Musculoskeletal Medicine) to improve students’ clinical skills (Smith et al. 2002). Teaching stations are designed to provide an entirely simulated clinical situation to meet specific learning objectives. Each station is developed to give every student an equivalent range of clinical skills experience covering the main aspects of each learning objective. Indigenous health SCIMs were developed to enhance second-year medical students’ skills in treating Indigenous patients in the clinical environment.
