ADAM Summerschool – Education Through Medical Simulation – Netherlands (IFMSA-NL)

Name of the activity: ADAM Summerschool – Education Through Medical Simulation

Country/NMO: Netherlands (IFMSA-NL)

Program: Teaching Medical Skills

Contact information: [email protected]

Type of the activity: Education

General description:

The ADAM Summerschool is about anesthesia and acute medicine. These topics will be practiced via simulation. Simulation enables students to handle acute simulations better. Practical education methods are often missed in the bachelor phase of the medical curriculum. This is why this summerschool is based on education through medical simulation. In addition, the Summerschool provides the opportunity for students to learn more about acute medicine and anesthesia, and the opportunity to learn about teamwork. On the last day, there will be a contest called the SimOlympics. Students will be divided in teams of four and put their learned skills into practice in the simulation room. The team that performs best will be rewarded.

Focus area:

First Aid/CPR/BLS, Soft Skills for medical practitioners

Problem statement:

As patients become increasingly concerned that students and residents are “practicing” on them, clinical medicine is becoming focused more on patient safety and quality than on bedside teaching and education [1]. Educators have faced these challenges by restructuring curricula, developing small‐group sessions, and increasing self‐directed learning and independent research. Nevertheless, a disconnect still exists between the classroom and the clinical environment [2]. Of late, multiple studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of simulation in the teaching of basic science and clinical knowledge, procedural skills, teamwork, and communication as well as assessment at the undergraduate and graduate medical education levels [3]. Simulation has been shown to be a reliable tool for assessing learners and for teaching topics such as teamwork and communication [4].
The ADAM Summerschool is about anesthesia and acute medicine. These topics will be practiced via simulation. Education through simulation is a teaching method based on training and feedback, where real life circumstances are imitated. Simulation enables students to practice and handle acute situations adequately, without bringing any harm to patients. This Summerschool provides the opportunity for students to learn more about acute medicine and anesthesia, and the opportunity to learn about teamwork. As a future doctor, being able to work in a team is essential.

[1]: Nathan Emmerich, Gerard Gormley and Melissa McCullough, Ethics of healthcare simulation, Healthcare Simulation Education, (119-126), (2017).
[2]: Okuda, Y., Bryson, E. O., DeMaria, S., Jacobson, L., Quinones, J., Shen, B., & Levine, A. I. (2009). The utility of simulation in medical education: what is the evidence?. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine, 76(4), 330-343.
[3]: Christodoulos Keskinis, Vasileios Bafitis, Panagiota Karailidou, Christina Pagonidou, Panteleimon Pantelidis, Alexandros Rampotas, Michail Sideris, Georgios Tsoulfas and Dimitrios Stakos, The use of theatre in medical education in the emergency cases school: an appealing and widely accessible way of learning, Perspectives on Medical Education, 6, 3, (199), (2017).
[4]: Brian Kwan, Glory Bui, Paul Jain, Nilesh Shah and Derek Juang, Exploring simulation in the internal medicine clerkship, The Clinical Teacher, 14, 5, (349-354), (2016).

Target groups and beneficiaries:

Medical students: 20 international and 5 national participants per year.

Objectives and indicators of success:

Main objective:
Teach medical students about basic concepts of anesthesiology and acute medicine. Simulation and practice-based learning will be key.

Students:
Will get an impression of anesthesiology;
Learn how to handle acute situations;
Gain knowledge on the basics of anesthesiology;
Gain insight in Advanced Trauma Life Support;
Gain insight in teamwork in (acute) medical settings;
Build a network of motivated international medical students;
Exchange ideas on different cultures and medical schools;
Get an impression of the rich history, culture and student life in Amsterdam.

Note: These will be improved on short notice (hopefully in June).

Methodology:

The medical program is based on the teaching method used in the medical curriculum of the VUmc School of Medical Sciences. Education will be based on a strong integration of theory and practice. To create a motivating and interactive environment, lectures will be alternated with workshops and training sessions in simulation rooms. There will be more workshops than lectures. The lectures (mornings) will focus on supporting the workshops, which are planned in the afternoon. On the last day, the students will participate in a contest called the SimOlympics, where they can apply everything they have learned.

Lectures
The main goal of the lectures is to teach the participants about anesthesiology in an interactive way. Lecturers are medical doctors with a lot of experience and knowledge in their field of expertise that will be addressed. During the lectures there will be enough room for active participation of participants.
Lectures will be on Monday through Thursday. In general, lectures are planned for the morning sessions and in the afternoon workshops are planned.

Workshops
To connect theory with practice, the afternoon workshops will be connected to the lectures of that morning.
The workshops will be about practical skills, used in the field of anesthesiology. Students will also be get used to the simulation rooms in the SimLab. Everything will be in preparation for the SimOlympics on Friday.

SimOlympics
To conclude the medical program, students will be divided into teams of four students and send into the simulation room to apply their knowledge and skills in a case study. There will be a short debrief, where the medical doctors will give some feedback. There will be a jury that assesses the teams. The winning team will be awarded with a special certificate.

Plans for evaluation:

The participants will be asked to fill in an elaborate evaluation form in order to receive their certificate. This evaluation form will focus on the content and quality of the program but also on the organizational part of the Summerschool and improvements for next year. Participants will also take a test on their knowledge after the Summerschool and this will be compared to the test they took before the Summerschool started. The participants also have to take this test in order to receive their certificate. Afterwards, the OC will thoroughly evaluate the Summerschool.