Second year students from NEWI's Theatre and Performance degree course were invited to take part in typical GP clinic scenarios to help doctors' preparation for a new Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) professional examination.

The Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) forms just one part of the final new membership of the RCGP exam for qualified hospital doctors who need additional skills before being able to practice at a local surgery.

Dr Ian Happs, part of the team which delivers the Wrexham District GP specialist training programme, said the efforts of NEWI students in improvising a variety of illnesses and ailments was a crucial element of doctors training as it gave them experience of reacting to patients needs.

He said: "One of the things doctors find most difficult when training to be a GP is the interaction with the patient. It is different to hospitals as it is one-to-one behind closed doors. The workshops were really helpful and the students were brilliant – the doctors got instant feedback and were able to try the scenarios again. It was a great way of helping them to prepare for the new exam."

NEWI students were invited to help with the doctors' training for the second consecutive year, following the success of role play scenarios last year. The role plays had previously been used as a communication skills exercise for the doctors but took on extra significance this year due to the introduction of the scenarios as an assessment.

The CSA, which was introduced in August, requires trainees to undertake 13 consecutive simulated consultations of 10 minutes each, under the observation of a Royal College examiner. NEWI students acted as patients using specimen cases prepared by the RCGP to help doctors train for the exam.

Elen Mai Nefydd, a lecturer on the Theatre and Performance degree programme, co-ordinated NEWI's involvement.

She said: "We were thrilled to get involved. Applied theatre and using drama in the community is an important part of the course, and doing an activity like this allowed the students to apply what they had learned.

"It demonstrates the importance of their skills and highlights the many different ways in which their talents can be utilised in a range of situations."