OPEN ACCESSAugust 22, 2013An Evaluation of the Educational Quality of a First Responder Course for Medical Students Kiran Pandit, MD, Aubrie Swan-Sein, Jane Kim, Aleksandr Tichter, Jeremy Sperling, Wallace Carter Kiran Pandit, MD Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Google Scholar More articles by this author , Aubrie Swan-Sein Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Google Scholar More articles by this author , Jane Kim Kings County Hospital Center Google Scholar More articles by this author , Aleksandr Tichter Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Google Scholar More articles by this author , Jeremy Sperling Weill Cornell Medical College Google Scholar More articles by this author , Wallace Carter Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9521 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail Abstract Introduction: First responder training for medical students has not been evaluated in the literature. Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons (P&S) first-year students participated in a 4-hour first responder course with lectures and eight scenario-based small-group sessions, led by emergency medicine (EM) faculty and residents. The course goals are for students to achieve basic competence in responding to medical emergencies in nonclinical settings before emergency medical services arrive, and for EM residents to teach students. The evaluation assessed the educational quality of the course (effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal). Methods: The students rotate through six small groups which are taught via scenarios in which the students are asked to act out their responses as “medical-student-on-scene,” and critical points are taught by the instructors (emergency medicine residents and faculty) as the scene plays out. The six scenarios are: seizure, anaphylaxis, deformed extremity, stroke, choking, and chest pain with loss of consciousness. Results: The evaluation assessed the educational quality of the course (effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal). Course effectiveness was assessed with both a one-group pre- and posttest design and a course evaluation questionnaire. Students responded correctly to 73% of pretest and 93% of posttest questions, a statistically significant difference (paired-samples ttest, p < .001). Students gave high ratings to all questions (all > 4.0 on scale of 1–5). Discussion: Overall, the course was successful in teaching students how to respond to medical emergencies, with high effectiveness and efficacy. Future courses should continue to emphasize high-quality instructors (including resident-teachers) and small-group design, but should decrease repetitiveness and inconsistency in content. Educational Objectives By the end of this module, the learner will be able to achieve basic competence in responding to medical emergencies in nonclinical settings before emergency medical services (trained prehospital personnel) arrive. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: FRC Course Evaluation.doc FRC Paper.docx FRC Post-Test Answers.doc FRC Post-Test.doc FRC Pre-Test Answers.doc FRC Pre-Test.doc Instructor's Guide.docx Lecture 1.ppt Lecture 2.ppt Lecture 3.pptx Scenarios.doc To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. CitationPandit K, Swan-Sein A, Kim J, Tichter A, Sperling J, Carter W. An Evaluation of the Educational Quality of a First Responder Course for Medical Students. MedEdPORTAL. 2013;9:9521. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9521 Copyright & Permissions© 2013 Pandit et al. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license.KeywordsSimulationFirst-Year Medical StudentFirst-RespondersScenarioSmall-Group LearningEmergency RespondersEducation ResearchScenario-Based LearningEmergencies Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...