Engaging the Next Generation: Designing an Experiential Intensive Care Unit Workshop on Neurologic Emergencies for Medical Students From Diverse Backgrounds

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate medical students often feel unprepared to manage unstable patients, especially in emergency and intensive care settings. Inadequate exposure to real clinical learning tasks without hands-on experience may contribute to these feelings of unpreparedness. Traditional lectures might not sufficiently support the development of medical skills in this area. This article describes the design and satisfaction-based evaluation of a 1-h innovative workshop for teaching undergraduate medical students how to manage unstable neurologic patients. APPROACH: In March 2025, the Swiss Medical Students' Convention organised by the Swiss Medical Students' Association took place in Lausanne, Switzerland, with the goal of improving students' readiness to manage unstable patients in an acute care environment. The workshop included students from diverse Swiss universities and training backgrounds, which called for a flexible and inclusive approach. It employed experiential learning strategies and gamification principles to engage students in three structured stations, focusing on neurologic assessment, identifying red flags in comatose patients and preventing secondary cerebral damage. EVALUATION: After the workshop, students completed a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Data indicated a high level of satisfaction among participants regarding the structure, content and interactivity of the workshop. Medical students appreciated the peer-based, mixed-level learning approach, which promoted collaboration and critical thinking. IMPLICATIONS: This initiative demonstrates how short, hands-on, student-centred workshops can enhance medical students' engagement for critical care management. Future research should include preassessment and postassessment to measure its impact on clinical reasoning and knowledge growth.