Introduction: Many tasks seem daunting for a new medical graduate who is starting houseman
posting; as educators, we must ask ourselves whether our graduates are ready to face emergency
situations as the first responders during a crisis. Exploration of undergraduate students’ perceptions
highlights needs in some areas, including acute care, practical skills and prescribing. Armed with basic
resuscitation skills, students could face emergencies with more confidence and skill. Method: Seven
cohorts of final-year students completed a one-and-a-half day cardiac life support course and were
assessed using megacode and pre- and post-course multiple choice questions. Results: The pre- and
post-test analysis using paired sample T-test demonstrated significant performance improvement
(p