OP07 Medical students’ perceptions of learning procedural skills using simulation through to clinical practice

Abstract

Aim: To understand the undergraduate medical students’ experiences of using simulation to learn clinical skills. Objectives: To understand the overall students’ experience of learning clinical skills from the simulated learning environment into clinical practice. Consider how we can enhance their learning experience whilst simultaneously meeting their learning needs and the requirements of the curriculum. Summary of work undertaken: 4th Year medical students studying at Hull York Medical School were invited to participate in the study. Year 4 students have the advantage of having procedural skills taught to them using simulation alongside those taught in Year 3. They have also had a potential 18 months to practice these skills in clinical practice and therefore have a breadth of learning in both simulation and clinical practice to reflect upon. Focus groups were chosen to encourage peer discussion, field notes were also taken.1 Using thematic analysis 3 main themes were found: Supervision and feedback; the simulated learning environment; and learning using simulation versus a real patient. Impact on practice: Learning the equipment required and the order in which to use it was a more important learning event to students than either how realistic the part task trainer was in comparison to a real patient or whether they were successful or not in the simulated environment. As a result, immediate changes have been made to equipment layout in the simulated learning environment. Students welcomed the sense of safety that the simulated learning environment gave them but felt the tutor role playing the patient did add a level of confusion and reduced the realism of the teaching. This academic year, we are introducing simulated patients to improve the communication aspect of clinical skills teaching. We are producing videos this summer for revision purposes in response to student’s feedback regarding how they refresh their skills learning. An open day in June 2019 is confirmed in order to increase our exposure to hospital staff. The aim being to thank staff for their continuing support of our students, promote supervision of students’ skills performance in clinical practice, and to provide a platform for suggestions from clinical staff on how medical students are taught clinical skills. Future work is planned to compare student experiences from different year groups to see any similarities or differences depending on where they are in their undergraduate medical education. The students’ learning experience is what should be central to how, why, when and where we teach, their experiences now affect not only how they learn now and in the future, but how they will teach our tomorrows doctors. Reference Coe R, Waring M, Hedges L, Arthur J. (2017). Research methods and methodologies in education (2nd ed). London. Sage.