IMSH Delivers Sessions - Scroll down to "ADD to your Briefcase"
Effects of Clerkship Experience on Simulated Clinical Performance (1090-004238) (Research Abstract Professor Rounds: Group 6)
Start time: Friday, January 29, 2021, 11:30 AM End time: Friday, January 29, 2021, 12:30 PM Session Type: Research Abstracts (Completed Studies) Cost: $0.00
Content Category: Researcher
Hypothesis:
Do clerkships affect medical students’ simulation performance? Medical students rotate through their clerkships in varying order, which exposes them to different cases and content at different points in time. This study sought to determine if clerkships have an effect on simulation performance.
Methods:
This study was conducted at the mid-year break between students’ two blocks of clerkship rotations. Students completed each of their assigned block’s rotations in a different order, but then switched blocks mid-year. This study introduced an individual simulation in which each student played the role of the physician. In the first year of the study, students encountered an adult patient with an acute myocardial infarction. In the second year, students encountered either an adult or a pediatric patient with an asthma exacerbation. Each simulation was facilitated by a faculty member who completed an assessment documenting the order and timing of key performance items. Outcomes were examined to identify any performance differences between rotation blocks.
Results:
A total of 385 students participated in simulations over two years. For the 192 students who experienced the AMI case, there were no statistically significant differences between rotation blocks in the time it took to order an EKG, call for help, or for overall simulation time. For the 193 students who experienced the asthma exacerbation case, there were no statistically significant differences between rotation blocks in the time it took to order diagnostic or therapeutic treatments or call the attending. Though, students in both rotation blocks spent more time with the pediatric patient than the adult patient.
Conclusions:
The order in which medical students completed their clerkships did not significantly affect simulation performance. While relevance of a simulation to a clerkship is presumed to be ideal, these results demonstrate that medical students can perform and learn from simulations at any point in their clerkships.