BACKGROUND The foundation course (FC) will provide a sound foundation for understanding the MBBS course. The fresh undergraduate (UG) should be aware of some basic safety principles like basic life support (BLS), biomedical waste management (BMW) & hand hygiene (HH). We wanted to access the student's knowledge about BLS, BMW and HH skills after four months of FC and their perception of the skills module of FC. METHODS A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of

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... biology, KIMS, Bhubaneswar. After four months of completing the FC, the individual student was assessed for the knowledge domain of BLS, BMW & HH by multiple-choice questions and feedback from students was taken. RESULTS Out of 150, 99 (66 %) students responded to MCQs of BLS, BMW & HH and 120 (80 %) students gave feedback to the FC. A consensus measure expressed in percentage was obtained for each item. Most of the students acquired 60-70 % of the marks. The mean, median & mode of BLS, BMW & HH were 7.23, 7 & 7; 7.94, 8 & 8; 6, 6 & 7. 75 % of students said that skill training during FC was helpful for better patient care. CONCLUSIONS BLS, BMW & HH are the essential skills; students should have a basic idea about these skills, which help them in clinical posting after years. Accounting for the feedback of students regarding the FC can be modified.