Board #224 - Program Innovation Integration of Simulation Training throughout Undergraduate Medical Education (Submission #10053)

Abstract

Objectives For more than 20 years, medical literature has increasingly documented the need for students to learn, practice, and demonstrate competence in basic clinical knowledge, assessment skills, and procedural skills. In 2001, the LSUHSC School of Medicine New Orleans replaced its traditional Introduction to the Clinical Medicine (ICM) course with the Science and Practice of Medicine (SPM) course. Curriculum innovations included changes to the lecture format, reduction in lecture hours, changes to the lab structure, additional small group instruction, and the incorporation of computer-based learning. One of the key adaptations to the new curriculum was the addition of simulation (role play, anatomical models, low-high fidelity simulators) in the Clinical Skills Lab and Human Patient Simulation Lab (HPS). Description The Clinical Skills Lab (CSL) is designed as an active learning approach that focuses on small group instruction, hands-on training, peer-to-peer observation, and immediate feedback in a non-stressful controlled environment. Procedural skill instruction at the level of first and second-year medical students permits reinforcement of basic science principles in clinical case scenarios. The CSL allows the preclinical students to learn, practice, and demonstrate competence in 40 basic skills over the 15 sessions. Third year students participate in the HPS Lab, and are required to manage patients that relate to their clerkship curriculum. Over the course of the year, students manage and treat eight simulated patients with a variety of illnesses which are listed below. In 2011, LSUHSC extended the use of simulation into the fourth year with a new course called Critical Concepts. This course was developed to ensure that students can recognize and manage core conditions that clinical departments believed necessary for all interns. This course currently has eight participating departments: Emergency Medicine, Pulmonary Critical Care, Pediatrics/NICU, Anesthesia, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Orthopedics, Psychiatry and Surgery. The table below shows the department and areas of instruction.Conclusion The SPM course allows freshman medical students the opportunity to supplement their history-taking skills with rudimentary physical assessment and procedure/skill acquisition. Second-year medical students are encouraged to solve more complex medical cases involving lab and physical exam abnormalities that require integration of previously acquired CSL skills. The Critical Concept course prepares students to enter residency with a more sophisticated understanding of the complexity of diseases and patient management. While all of these courses use various types of simulation training, they are not designed to replace real clinical patient experiences. They are designed to provide early exposure to clinical medicine, challenge students to apply their medial knowledge, enhance patient management skills, and provide the opportunity to practice skills/procedures in a patient-free environment. Disclosures None