Clinical skills day: preparing third year medical students for their rural rotation

• DOI: 10.22605/rrh788
• Publication Date: 2021-04-19T00:50:53Z
• Authors: Gwen Halaas; Therese Zink; Kathleen Brooks; Jane Miller
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Models, Educational; Inservice Training; Students, Medical; Family Medicine; Minnesota; Medically Underserved Area; Undergraduate medical education; 910; Job Satisfaction; Medicine and Health Sciences; Humans; USA; Primary Health Care; 4. Education; Clinical Clerkship; Community Health and Preventive Medicine; Clinical simulations; 3. Good health; Patient Simulation; Workforce; Female; Patient simulators; Public Health; Clinical Competence; Curriculum; Rural Health Services; Objective structured clinical examination

In order to prepare third year medical students in the Rural Physician Associate Program for a nine-month community-based continuity care experience rural Minnesota, USA, clinical skills day that featured human patient simulators and standardized patients was developed. Patients presenting with common urgent routine primary-care problems were developed presented using objective structured examination teaching. The goals of to: (1) distinguish from non-urgent presentation; (2) use guidelines making decisions; (3) communicate effectively stressful situations; (4) uncover significant issue different complaint.Case scenarios written variety diagnoses differing ages. Scenarios both typical what might be encountered primary care. They included: chest pain bradycardia pulseless electrical activity; major trauma an all-terrain vehicle; labor delivery; acute abdomen (acute appendicitis 20 old diverticulitis 70 old); anaphylaxis after influenza vaccination; pediatric upper respiratory infection which mother demanded antibiotics; knee injury middle-aged man weekend football; heartburn underlying depression; X-ray review. occurred Interprofessional Education Resource Center (IERC), where each room fully equipped ambulatory computer accessing data video camera central monitoring. Faculty recruited College Medicine received on-line presentation orienting them IERC, teaching model scenario assigned supporting evidence-based guidelines. Students reviewed audio-visual IERC outlining learning expectations day. Otherwise, not expected because this immersion experience. present as observers, facilitators educators. Their roles active or passive, depending on case presence simulator patient. Each station, except radiology involved debriefing at end final questions, distribution educational resources summary points. Standardized also gave feedback. randomly small groups three four rotated through stations unit.To date two classes (n = 77) have participated. Evaluations completed by faculty included qualitative quantitative immediately event 9 months later 59). overwhelmingly positive means well above five-point Likert scale. Feedback immediate delayed evaluations continue used improve session following year.Both enthusiastic about 'hands on' team format, provided opportunities begin understand complex they will need before learn step-by-step.