The Clinical Skills Learning Centre was built to facilitate self-directed learning in the System Integrated Medical Curriculum adopted by the Faculty of Medicine. It opened on May 07, 2001. Situated on the second floor of the Clinical Sciences Block of the Prince of Wales Hospital, it has 500 m2 (4500 ft2) of area space organized into 7 consultation rooms, 2 open-space demonstration/lecture rooms, a control room, a waiting area, a lobby, and storage areas.
The consultation rooms are fully equipped like a doctor’s office together with computer for Net access. Activities and conversation within the rooms can be monitored and taped from the control room for both learning and examination purposes. These rooms are used primarily for practising communication skills, clinical methods, and medical informatics.
Each of the open-space rooms, equipped with its own audiovisual equipment, has a capacity for 30 seats. Separated by a soundproof retractable partition, they can function individually as seminar rooms. With the soundproof partition retracted, the combined area turns into a larger lecture or demonstration room with capability for tele-conference with other locations in the Hospital and with other institutions, both local and abroad. The waiting area is equipped with a TV screen and can expand the capacity of the lecture rooms by another 20 seats.
The control room has 9 audiovisual/computer consoles. The audiovisual equipment is used to monitor the 7 consultation rooms and the 2 open-space areas. When switched to computer mode, these consoles accommodate overflow from the Computer Laboratory next door.
The Centre has over 200 models, manikins, tapes, and compact discs to aide and enrich the learning of Year 1 and 2 students so that they become competent in examining a normal person by the end of Year 2. Students in senior years are scheduled to return to the Centre regularly to renew their clinical skills.
The facility is open to staff and students of the Faculty 24 hours a day every day. Booking can be made on-line at http://booking.med.cuhk.edu.hk/ and access is by the CU-Link Card.