As graduating medical students in Finland wish for more skills training and lack proficiency in some of the core procedures expected by a graduating doctor or a GP, the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki aims to improve teaching and learning methods based on simulating techniques. The aims of this study were to describe a voluntary skills laboratory course and how students and teachers perceived the experience. We recruited teachers from 11 different specialties to prepare a voluntary skills training session for medical students. The sessions used the faculty skills laboratory equipment and were targeted towards skills that would be needed in clinical rotations and working as substitute for resident doctors at hospitals and as general practitioners in health centers. The sessions were generally open to students from all course levels, and registration was separately carried out for each session. The students could, however, choose to enroll for a voluntary skills course, which required participation in 5 voluntary sessions, 40 hours of independent practice and studying, and a learning diary of the whole experience. We used web-based forms to gather feedback from students and teachers on their perceptions of the sessions. A total of 84/196 (43%) students and 20/21 (95%) teachers were responded. In addition, we analyzed 10 learning diaries from the voluntary course for similarities. Both students and teachers perceived the sessions useful. The average overall rating on a scale of five for a session by the students was 4.27 (IQR: 4-5 n=84). Teachers were motivated in organizing the sessions and felt that the participants were excited, indicating that the sessions were a pleasant experience. The voluntary skills sessions and voluntary skills course were a strong proof of concept and could provide an effective way to promote independent learning in the skills lab.