Effective retention of primary survey skills by medical students after participation in an expanded Trauma Evaluation and Management course

BACKGROUND: The Trauma Evaluation and Management (TEAM) module orients medical students to the initial assessment of an injured patient. At the Medical College of Wisconsin, a course based on expanded TEAM (eTEAM) was developed for junior medical students. This study determined whether eTEAM improved the ability to perform and retain primary survey skills. METHODS: Objective Structured Clinical Examination methodology was used to compare 2 groups of senior medical students 1 year after receiving either a 2-hour lecture or eTEAM. RESULTS: Students receiving eTEAM performed the primary survey much better than those receiving lecture alone. The overall Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students participating in eTEAM retained the ability to perform a primary survey in proper sequence 1 year later better than students receiving the information in lecture format only.