Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of using standardized clinical skills instruction video in teaching of clinical skills and investigate the role of clinical instructor in teaching clinical skills for finding a more effective method to improve the teaching of clinical skills. Methods: Sixty third-year grade medical students taking the elective course of clini-cal skills and other 40 students from junior grades volunteered for taking self-taught instruction video training course of clinical skills were enrolled. The 60 third-year grade students were divided into clinical skill instruction video teaching group and conventional teaching group. The 40 junior grade students were categorized into freshman and sophomore grade groups and all received self-taught instruction video training course of clinical skills. Resultsof teaching were evaluated and compared between these groups, and a questionnaire survey was conducted in both the students and tutors. Results: The average score in instruction video teaching group was significantly higher than that of conventional teaching group (P<0.05) with a difference of 8.4 counts (a full of 100 counts). Eight weeks later the scores of the two groups were significantly decreased, and the decrease was more significant in conventional teaching group (P<0.05). In groups of self-taught instruction video training, the average score of freshman grade group was lower than that of sophomore grade group (P<0.05), with a difference of 8.8 counts. The scores in freshman and sophomore grade self-taught instruction video training groups had lower scores than those in clinical skill instruction video teaching group, which got help from instructor (P<0.05); the differences were 18.9 and 10.1 counts, respectively. The results of questionnaire showed that all students had a strong interest for the clinical skill course, and 95.02% of the students believed that the clinical skill instruction video was helpful for the learning of clinical skills. All teachers agree that standardized clinical skill instruction video can reduce the error and difference in teaching evaluation. Conclusions: The teaching results of clinical skill instruction video teaching group are superior to that of conventional teaching group. The efficacy of self-taught clinical skill instruction video training in freshman grade students is lower than that in sophomore grade students and the help from instructor is more needed.