OB Simulation Day for Third Year medical Students
Simulation Saturday was a Resounding Success!
Vickie Mello, DO. – Associate Program Director
John Hebert, MD. III – Program Director
Hurley Medical Center hosted its first “Simulation Saturday” on May 30th. This event was our attempt to learn more about how best to use simulation in the Ob/Gyn Clerkship. We also hoped to gain interest in our specialty and in Flint’s Ob/Gyn Residency Program.
There were 5 third year medical students who volunteered their Saturday to participate in the event. Three stations were used to introduce the students to the variety of simulation currently used in our Ob/Gyn residency program. All the students were given a brief introduction at the beginning of the program. We then paired the students up and rotated them through the stations, spending approximately 30 minutes at each station.
Laparoscopic trainers were used to practice certain tasks that foster hand-eye coordination. Laptop computers function as “monitors” as students used the laparoscopic dissectors and graspers.
Beef tongues were used to simulate vaginal lacerations and episiotomy repair. Two tongues cost a mere $24, offering an inexpensive opportunity for students to practice suturing and knot-tying.
A Pelvic Model was used to simulate vaginal delivery and vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery. This offered students an opportunity to learn more about fetal head position, palpation skills and proper vacuum use in a controlled environment. The model was purchased last year from Clinical Innovations.
At the conclusion of the program, we provided lunch and students were asked to fill out an evaluation on SurveyMonkey. All the students found the program very helpful and effective. They thought simulation should be used in the MSU clerkship, and they felt that the pelvic model was probably most appropriate for their level of training. Although the beef tongue was helpful, students had gotten some suturing simulation experience on other clerkships. The students said that after practicing on the pelvic model, they would feel more comfortable taking an active role during deliveries while on the rotation.
We also felt the program was valuable to us, as faculty. We plan to use the suturing and pelvic model simulation with the interns in July, in order to get them more involved in the deliveries they attend right from the start. We are also planning to study the resident’s laparoscopic skills using the trainers, then reassess their skills later on in the year. The students suggested having competitions among residents involving the speed and accuracy with which they complete the laparoscopic tasks.
Overall, we were very pleased with our first Simulation Saturday event. We plan on offering the event again next year. Special thanks to Dr. Hebert, Dr. Beran, Dr. Akl and Dr. Kling, who were all involved in teaching.
