Simulation Center offers hands-on experience for medical students
Simulation Center offers hands-on experience for medical students Heading link
The University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford’s Simulation Center exposes students to scenarios they could face once their medical school journey is complete.
“We had a few simulations with patients who crashed,” says Bella Swan, a third-year medical student. “Some of our professors run the simulation, so we can see how a medication works in an emergency. Being in those kinds of scenarios was a lot of fun because it raises the urgency.”
The Simulation Center features manikin-based learning that replicates real-life patient encounters students will face in the medical world. Students can use the Sim Center to hone and expand their clinical knowledge, receive training, prepare for assessments, and practice using simulation activities.
“I think students have a lot of personal interaction at our center,” says Katy Dabbs, a medical education program specialist in the Office of Medical Education and Evaluation, who coordinates Sim Center sessions. “They know us, see us and become connected to us because we run the simulations for M1, M2, M3 and M4 students.”
Two simulation bays allow students to simulate working with a patient in a realistic hospital environment, all while their instructor watches in an adjacent viewing room. Next to the simulation bays are tables and chairs, giving students a place to debrief and discuss what went well and what could be improved.
“The Sim Center gives students more practice time to learn their doctoring skills and apply what they know in a situation where they have to interact with a patient,” says Paul Chastain, PhD, clinical associate professor in the Department of Health Sciences Education and associate director of simulation events and development.
The Sim Center exposes medical students to life in a simulated clinic. They can listen to a manikin’s heart and lungs, which can take time and practice.
“My biggest learning opportunity was having a cardiologist come in and program the manikins to have different heart murmurs,” says Swan, who is also part of the Cardiology Student Interest Group. “It takes a lot of practice to hear a heart murmur, so he would program different heart murmurs for us to listen to, and while we were listening, we’d explain what we thought was happening. He knew what was happening, so he would walk us through the pathophysiology of the heart murmur. It was cool.”
Nabil Khan, a fourth-year medical student, says this type of exercise wouldn’t be possible without the Sim Center.
“It’s the best way to learn and there’s no way to do it other than through simulation,” he says. “Having some of that experience with the manikins is helpful because we know what a heart murmur is supposed to sound like.”
Students can use the Sim Center for various doctoring skills, clinical rotations or Transition to Residency, which provides students with the skills and knowledge needed to make a seamless shift into residency.
During Transition to Residency, students participate in a “Day in the Life” simulation, where they have simulated scenarios like a heart attack, tension pneumothorax, anxiety attack and pneumonia (all related to a patient coming into the ER with a complaint of chest pain). Some of these simulations use standardized patients, and some utilize manikins and faculty to act as attendings in each scenario.
Students in Transition to Clerkships, a two-week course at the end of their Phase I curriculum, also use the Sim Center.
They interact with the manikin, ask about their patient history, and order labs like they’re in a real hospital. They also interpret the results and have discussions with parents and family members, like during a death encounter.
Students participate in a first death simulation during this course, where the manikins are used to simulate a patient crashing and dying. Students can experience the emotions of this with support staff and faculty before seeing it during their Phase 2 and 3 clerkships.
“The manikin was the patient, and an actor was the parent, so we had to deal with the chaos of the situation and the de-escalation of emotions for families,” Swan says. “At this point in our training, it’s a good first step and good first exposure.”
Medical students are fortunate enough to work with manikins that come from various demographics. The Gaumard Hal Juvenile/Pediatric Simulator is a pediatric patient simulator capable of simulating lifelike emotions through facial expressions, movement and speech.
“The pediatric manikin has been helpful because I can get experience working with kids,” Khan says. “It’s good to get some of that experience.”
Alex the Smart Simulator uses artificial intelligence, enabling him to listen and respond independently, making him perfect for health care communication. He’s able to give scenario-specific answers to thousands of medical interviewing questions.
The manikins, task trainers and virtual patients represent diverse demographics and various ages, providing students with a realistic range of patient interactions.
“Right now, our focus is about having manikins represent the populations of patients that students will see,” Chastain says. “We want simulators that can work for multiple purposes and are easy to work with because of their characteristics. We are hoping to expand the simulators that we have to include geriatric and OB/GYN patients.”
By being in a smaller location at the UIC Health Sciences Campus-Rockford, medical students who use the Sim Center can have a more intimate learning experience.
“Dr. Chastain is always offering to bring any of us in here to teach us about anything, so the options are there,” Swan says.
Linda F. Chang, PharmD, MPH, BCPS, associate professor of clinical family medicine, says the students can use the Sim Center anytime they see the need.
“The team is also creative, so they know the learners well,” she says. “They can create scenarios and cases just to help the student. They’re able to tailor lessons to benefit students.”
Chastain says the staff has to be creative and work with what they have. In addition to teaching classes, Chastain often pretends to be a patient.
“Sometimes, you have to have multiple roles, and you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” he says. “Sometimes, I’m the person running the simulator, so I’m the patient’s voice and giving feedback. We know on the days that we have simulation, we’re going to spend lots of energy, and we are fortunate that everyone we have is multitalented and willing to take risks and learn something new.”
Dabbs says a couple of years ago, a student at convocation said when they first came to Rockford, they were disappointed, but once they got here, they realized the culture in the Sim Center was excellent and the learning environment was perfect.
“They realized that having a smaller campus makes them more connected with the staff and other students,” Dabbs says. “Maybe you don’t ever interact with all the students of your course, and you don’t get to know the professors and other staff. We are smaller, so we can connect with them more.”
Medical students who use the Sim Center say they appreciate having the option of getting real-life exposure while they are in medical school.
“I’ve had some good experiences, but I wish I could have used this more,” Khan says. “Each time we’ve been in a situation, I’ve learned something new because you’re always addressing multiple aspects of a situation.”