CHCS Perspectives Winter 2014

PERSPECTIVES • WINTER 2014 – Page 41 “The use of simulation in medical education, whether through the utilization of virtual cadavers, mannequins, or standardized patients, has been proven to enhance student outcomes and their future patients’ outcomes,” Pennington stated. “In effect, simula- tion is paramount in developing students’ critical-thinking skills.” In a well-developed and realistic setting, students are able to collectively use all knowledge and skills obtained to date from their PA education. They can work as a collaborative team, en- hancing today’s team-based approach to health care, or they can be assessed individually to understand their strengths and weak- nesses. Not only is simulation a superb learning tool, it can also be used as a summative examination instrument. The class of 2015 students experienced a round-robin of sim- ulated pulmonology case studies that kept them hopping for four hours last October 31. Students were randomly assigned to groups and followed a strict schedule that kept them rotating through patient cases every 20 minutes. Students were asked to work through each case as a team, feeding off each other to come up with detailed answers to questions asked about each patient. They rotated through one standardized patient case of influenza, one simulation mannequin case of an asthma exac- erbation, one simulation mannequin case of community-ac- quired pneumonia, and three other OSCE-type cases involving cystic fibrosis, emphysema, and COPD. A lung-sounds auscul- tation device was also used during the emphysema case. In every scenario, students were required to solve very pointed questions, such as • give a differential diagnosis of at least seven pertinent conditions • name all the pathogens associated with the disease state you are treating • describe the pathogenesis of the condition you are considering • explain why you are ordering the diagnostic studies you desire • name the acid-base disorder your patient exhibits and describe why this occurs • if the acid-base disorder is being compensated, name the mechanism and explain how this occurs • determine tidal volume, vital capacity, and FEV1 based on the flow graph given • explain the pathogenesis of diarrhea in a patient with cystic fibrosis These cases and questions were meticulously designed by Dr. Hendrix and Pennington to help the students wade through the enormous amount of medical information they are amassing to determine appropriateness of their decision making. “Students cannot just shotgun it; they have to be explicit,” said Dr. Hen- drix. “I want them to explain to me why they are doing some- thing. I want them to think out loud. I also want to determine their thought process to understand if their classroom prepara- tion was effective.” Orlando PA students diagnose symptoms presented by a standardized patient. Dr. Hendrix explains asthma treatments. Maria Lipari and Joey Califani listen intently to Dr. Hendrix’ instructions on the use of an inhaled medication. Continued on the next page...