A needs assessment for designing and establishing a Center for Clinical Skills Center

Background: Due to the limitations of clinical learning and the consideration of patients’ rights, the emphasis on educating clinical and communication skills and creating attitudes in students has received much attention, which requires an appropriate educational environment. Methods: In a descriptive study, we examined challenges and proposed solutions in a clinical skills center in 2017. The study participants were 60 medical students and 29 faculty members at the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences who were selected randomly and followed for 12 months, from October 2016 to October 2017. The classical modified Delphi technique was used to collect data and study execution in three rounds. Results: From the perspectives of academic board members, the most critical weaknesses included "small and limited educational environment of workshops" (weight of consensus=212.5), "severe lack of educational facilities such as simulators" (weight of consensus=158.9), and "lack of adequate facilities for assessing students’ skills" (weight of consensus=140.9) based on the results. From the perspectives of academic board members, the most crucial weaknesses in the field of management and execution were "lack of adequate constructional infrastructure" (weight of consensus=239.2), "lack of adequate funding for the clinical skills center" (weight of consensus=200.1) and "lack of approved organizational chart for clinical skills center" (weight of consensus=200.1). Conclusion: The main challenges of the Clinical Skills Center of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences included the lack of definition of an organizational chart, lack of sufficient funding to provide educational facilities, lack of standard educational space, and clinical skills evaluation, which the Center for Clinical Skills developed. Most of the center’s problems were resolved by allocating sufficient funds to provide educational facilities and cultivate a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration supported by university authorities.