Intensive simulation versus control in the assessment of time to skill competency and confidence of medical students to assess and manage cardiovascular and respiratory conditions—a pseudo-randomised trial

Abstract

BackgroundThe Clinical Placement Enhancement Program (CPEP) is a simulation course for medical students learning the core topics of cardiovascular and respiratory medicine, incorporating patient safety and professionalism teaching and based on adult learning principles and proven educational theory. The aims of this study are to assess whether the CPEP delivered at the beginning of a clinical rotation would result in competency outcomes that are at least equivalent to those achieved through a standard 6-week programme and whether this programme would increase student confidence levels in assessing and managing patients with cardiovascular and respiratory conditions.MethodsThis was a pseudo-randomised control trial between two groups of medical students from one clinical school. The intervention group participated in CPEP, a 4-day immersive simulation course, in the first week of their cardiac and respiratory medicine clinical rotation. The control group participants attended the normal programme of the 6-week cardiovascular and respiratory medicine clinical rotation. The programme and student competence was assessed using Observed Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and self-reported confidence surveys.ResultsThere was no significant difference in OSCE scoring between the intervention group (examined in week one of their clinical rotation following CPEP) and the control group (examined at the end of their full clinical rotation). Students exposed to CPEP started their clinical rotation with confidence levels similar to those reported by the control group at the end of their rotation. Confidence levels of CPEP students were higher at the end of the rotation compared to those of the control group.ConclusionsBased on OSCE results, immersion into a 4-day simulation-based teaching programme at the start of a clinical rotation resulted in skill competency levels that were equivalent to those obtained after a full clinical rotation of 6 weeks. CPEP improved students’ confidence levels in the assessment and management of patients presenting with cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Simulation utilised in courses such as CPEP has the potential to enhance the overall learning experience in medical school clinical rotations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s41077-016-0016-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

How does training format and clinical education model impact fidelity and confidence in a speech-language pathology rotation?

“…Students who participate in such synchronous trainings demonstrate greater confidence and higher levels of competency than their untrained counterparts (Barnard et al, 2011;Medina et al, 2008). When implemented correctly, these intensive, multi-day pre-clinical trainings yield similar competency levels as an entire clinical rotation (Cunningham et al, 2016). Unfortunately, synchronous trainings are often limited by the availability of resources at a given placement (Chang et al, 2014;Iverson et al, 2021;Major et al, 2020).…”

Impacto en el nivel de autoconfianza, satisfacción y percepción de la simulación clínica en estudiantes de medicina de una universidad privada

“…Asimismo, se ha demostrado que el entrenamiento repetitivo mediante el simulador puede optimizar el desarrollo de competencias en la práctica con el paciente y ofrecer al estudiante una enseñanza estandarizada con igual oportunidades de aprendizaje, disminuyendo la variabilidad que muchas veces existe en la práctica clínica. [4][5][6][7] El nivel de autoconfianza se refiere a la confianza en sí mismo, a la creencia de un individuo en sí mismo y a su capacidad para tener éxito. Cuanta más autoconfianza tenga el estudiante, tendrá mayores posibilidades de tener éxito, según lo expuesto por Bandura en 1997, quien realizó estudios sobre autoeficacia.…”

The Utility and Educational Impact of a Virtual Webinar to Deliver an International Undergraduate Cardiovascular Conference

“…16 Medical students have previously reported low confidence and knowledge in managing cardiac patients particularly in the emergency setting. 17 , 18 Hence, it is key for undergraduate conferences to not only push the frontiers with latest developments within the field, but also allow students to improve on their clinical acumen and allow their transition from a legitimate peripheral participator towards the centre of the profession. 19 …”

“…16 Medical students have previously reported low confidence and knowledge in managing cardiac patients particularly in the emergency setting. 17,18 Hence, it is key for undergraduate conferences to not only push the frontiers with latest developments within the field, but also allow students to improve on their clinical acumen and allow their transition from a legitimate peripheral participator towards the centre of the profession. 19 Given the importance of undergraduate conferences and that virtual meetings are exceedingly commonplace, acceptable and likely necessary, our study aims to provide the first quantitative evidence for the utility and educational impact of our two-day student society led virtual undergraduate cardiology conference compared to traditional in-person conferences.…”