High-fidelity anesthesia simulation in medical student education: Three fundamental and effective teaching scenarios

Abstract

Simulation is a vital tool in the assessment and training of medical professionals and those in high-risk fields. Simulation-based education provides medical students an opportunity to learn crisis management and team-building skills in an environment that poses no risk to actual patients. Students are given exposure to high-intensity medical scenarios which require and encourage critical thinking and advanced interpersonal communication skills. They are also provided with immediate feedback through debriefing and an opportunity to apply new skills through the reproducibility of rare cases. The benefits of simulation in the training of medical students during their rotations through their anesthesia electives are infrequently assessed. We expose 3rd- and 4th-year medical students to our MetiMan Prehospital model mannequin for simulation. The simulations included pulmonary embolism, airway fire, and malignant hyperthermia. We used these simulated scenarios as tools for practical teaching and exposure to uncommon events. As assessed in follow-up evaluations, the medical students found the simulations useful in the immediate application of clinical skills during their patient encounters through their rotation. The purpose of this article is to review the benefits of simulation in high-risk fields and highlight its value in the medical education of students during their anesthesiology elective. The following core competencies sare addressed in this article: Patient care, Practice-based learning and improvement, Medical knowledge, Interpersonal and communication skills.