Clinical skills? Who needs to practise those?

So I don't know how many people have noticed yet, but the Clinical Skills Centre (Shepherd's House) is closed for refurbishment at the moment.

What you probably didn't know is that it is closed for 8 months. Estimates are May or June 2012, but they don't even think it will be ready by then!
(I found this out from some students doing the medical education SSC).

Which leaves all of us medical and nursing students without *anywhere* to practise basic clinical skills. No phlebotomy, no cannulation, catheterisation, fundoscopy, otoscopes, sphygmomanometers, examination couches, injection practise, intimate examination models...

I've already struggled with skills I've had to learn without any opportunity to practise outside of the clinical setting. I've had to learn to cannulate straight away on patients, with doctors talking me through it *next* to patients, which must be nerve-wracking for them. It would have been much nicer (and ethical) for everyone involved had I had a chance to play around with the equipment first, and on a plastic model that I'm not going to hurt if I do it wrong!

And we're not going to get any opportunity to practise before the OSCE's, because the place may not even be open for the the OSCE's. Personally I find practising with the equipment really important before the exam, so I'm familiar with what I'll be using in a timed session... I'm sure a lot of people are too.


So we NEED to make a big fuss about this. I've already started asking questions on the Phase 4 FAQ's, but all I'm getting is that we'll have somewhere after Christmas (and that we'll be told where "soon"). Sorry but if we don't have somewhere ready immediately after Christmas, bureaucracy will inevitably lead to us having nowhere.

What I find really annoying is that I can see places clearly available. There's the SaIL centre at Tommies, but you have to be accompanied by a teaching doctor to use it. And all the clinical skills centre equipment is being stored in the basement of the James Clerk Maxwell Building (at Waterloo), so why they haven't just rearranged it so we can actually use the equipment in that space, I don't know!

I've complained on the FAQ's, and I am going to complain at the upcoming staff-student liason meeting in November. I need you guys to help too... talk to your clinical advisers, post on the FAQ's, email your tutors. Ask SMEC to help- I've already asked them on Facebook, but everyone ask your rep so they know that this is a massive problem.
If none of that gets us anywhere we'll have to go to the Dean and get KCLSU academic affairs to help us. It's early enough for us to kick up a big fuss and get this sorted, so let's make sure we bloody well do!