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Objective: To develop a novel video compendium of real surgical patient interactions as a tool for medical student education and to evaluate our institutional experience of its usefulness. Design: Prospective development of a video compendium of real surgical patient interactions. Setting: Single university affiliated hospital in Cork, Ireland. Participants: Patients with illnesses relevant to the surgery curriculum and students from an Irish medical school. Results: Videos were recorded of the clinical interaction between a consultant surgeon and patients, capturing focused history taking and/or clinical examination, with an associated set of explanatory notes. Fifty videos were developed with a tiered release to the clinical year medical students, via their virtual learning/education platform. Three hundred and eleven students responded to the questionnaire across 3-student year groups (311/585–53 %). Fifty-two percent of students did not have their clinical rotations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. >90 % of students agreed that the videos helped history taking and clinical examination technique. >80 % of students agreed that the accompanying text slides reinforced key points and helped with understanding difficult topics. Eighty-five percent of students reported that the videos increased exposure to surgical patients and pathology. Eighty-five percent of students rated their experience as at least 4 out of 5. Conclusions: This online educational compendium bridged a gap for students with limited clinical exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has become an important resource for all clinical students. Our novel engagement with real patients sets this compendium apart from resources which use actors.