A study has surprisingly revealed that students coming out of medical universities are not very confident about some very simple medical procedures. The Federal Education Department report disclosed that 54% of junior doctors doubt their ability of wound management, 71% of final-year students are unsure about exact drug doses and hence writing prescriptions. There are a very small percentage of students who are actually convinced about their skills.

On the contrary ANU Medical School Dean Professor Nicholas Glasgow believes that "whether the students know it or not, they are prepared". He said, "The first time you make a decision in an exam as a medical student, what's at stake is a mark, whether you get it right or wrong. There's a big contrast between that and suddenly realizing that the decisions you're making will impact in a real way on real people's lives."

Stressing the need of 'on-the-job-training' for junior doctors, the Australian Medical Students' Association's spokesman Sam Kirsches says, "At the end of the day there is no substitute for that real-life experience. As good as a simulation is, you can't replicate the real life environment".

Medical supervisors are not satisfied by the skills of Hospital interns, says the study. They find that interns are not sufficiently up to the mark as expected.