Simulation Education for Medical Students
All Fourth-Year Medical Students
All fourth-year medical students participate in the advanced clinical pharmacology and anesthesiology (ACPA) course. The four-week course is designed to integrate basic and clinical sciences. It uses simulation sessions, lectures, interactive small groups, student presentations, and firsthand experiences in the operating room and pain clinics to introduce anesthesiology and critical care medicine to students as they relate to pharmacology and physiology. All fourth-year students also participate in an internship prep course in their last week of medical school. As a part of this course, students spend 16 hours in the simulation lab participating in adult and pediatric high-fidelity simulation scenarios, as well as skills workshops and standardized patient encounters. The goal of this course is to provide the senior student with a deeper understanding of the role of the intern in patient care and the health care team, and to provide practical skills for patient care.
Third- and Fourth-Year Rotations
Medical students who elect to participate in anesthesiology rotations during their third and fourth year are given the opportunity to participate in simulation sessions during their rotation month. Both high-fidelity and task simulators are used. Skills taught include basic airway management, arterial line placement, and spinal anesthetics.
Airway Workshops
Once a year, the anesthesia interest group hosts an airway workshop for all medical students. Numerous anesthesiology faculty and residents spend an evening teaching anesthesiology airway management techniques to interested students. Several stations are set up which include the pediatric/neonatal airway, glidescope, fiberoptic, bag/mask ventilation, LMA, surgical airway, and basic intubation.
Anesthesiology faculty also present an airway workshop to all third-year students during their surgery rotation. Various airway management techniques are practiced using task simulators.
Research
During medical school, students can elect to spend one month of elective time in their fourth year or personal time conducting research. Students can get involved with various simulation research projects that are being conducted in the anesthesiology department or propose new ideas and select a faculty mentor.