CHCS Perspectives Winter 2014

PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2014 – Page 40 “Simulation and standardized patients are no longer the future of physician assistant training; they are the ‘here and now’ of an incredibly robust graduate-level medical education,” said Cheri Hendrix, D.H.Ed., academic director and assistant professor of the NSU Physician Assistant Program in Orlando. “I aim to develop our students’ critical-thinking skills in such a way so their fund of knowledge continually bubbles to the surface. I want them to dig deep into what they are learning in the classroom. Intellectual cu- riosity coupled with a solid understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of disease tie directly into sound clinical reasoning.” Great critical thinking skills take time to develop. Simulated case scenarios and standardized patients allow students to be inquisitive and use their arsenal of acquired communication and physical ex- amination skills. They also help them utilize their ever-expanding fund of medical knowledge to develop an appropriate differential diagnosis, order the most pertinent diagnostic studies, and develop a detailed treatment plan. In simulated exercises, students also de- velop logical and informative patient education that helps solidify medical concepts and disease processes that much further. The NSU Orlando PA Program has long embraced patient sim- ulation, fully aware of its impact on student learning. It is proving to be a necessary adjunct to the classroom, captivating students re- gardless of their learning styles. In the past, lack of time and lack of faculty understanding of the technology have stymied student use of this cutting-edge equipment. Today, the College of Health Care Sciences is proud to have on board Dixie Pennington, B.S., director of simulation and interactive technologies. Although she supports all four NSU PA programs, her office is based in the same building as the Orlando PA Program, so the students and faculty members are excited to have her expertise at their fingertips. Pennington earned her B.S. degree in Electro-Mechanical Engi- neering from Pennsylvania State University. She then worked for L3-Communications as an engineer designing and integrating op- tical arrays for the U.S. Navy, performing mine sweeping of ocean floors, and for commercial interests performing deep oceanic oil ex- ploration. Her medical background includes 20 years of emergency medical and anesthesia services. She is excited to couple her two loves—medicine and engineering—together in an academic setting. “She has proven to be an invaluable asset to our program, and to NSU as a whole,” said Dr. Hendrix. “She brings a wealth of expe- rience and high-tech know how to the classroom. Our students and faculty members have been the true benefactors of her abilities.” Students Ryley Williams, Mindy Ley, Elizabeth Walters, Bria Schottmiller, Laura Zambetti, Tatiana Mesa Santander, and Ashley Botsford review diagnostic data. Simulation Case Studies in Pulmonology By Cherilyn M. Hendrix, D.H.Ed., M.S.B.M.E., PA-C, Academic Director and Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Program – Orlando