International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the education of medical students. Many final-year students felt overwhelmed by the pandemic and less confident in the clinical setting having missed a significant proportion of their fourth-year studies. In addition, with increased numbers of critically unwell patients, restructure of services and redeployment of staff, it was inevitable that teaching on clinical placement would be compromised.

Aim:

The aim of the study was to develop an innovative near-peer educational programme with integrated simulation to support the learning needs of students and alleviate pressure from clinical specialities.

Methods:

The team developed a programme whereby students attended a full day of protected small-group teaching each week, equating to a total of 72 taught hours per student over an 8-week placement. Each day centred around a common theme, for example, ‘the breathless patient’, working through patient-centred case discussion, diagnostic workshops and simulation (Figure 1). The sessions integrated knowledge with realistic simulation scenarios, practical skills, communication skills, diagnostic interpretation and human factors in a safe environment. To complement the teaching, the team introduced mentors, allowing us to provide support and individual constructive feedback to aid professional development from student to safe, competent and confident doctor.

Figure 1:

Integrated design of the themed teaching days delivered to final-year students.

Implementation outline:

This innovative teaching programme was implemented over the 2020–2021 academic year and was well received by students as evidenced in the following feedback:

‘It was really helpful and interesting to have each teaching day themed on a presenting complaint’.

‘Protected time so (we) do not miss out if clinicians are busy’

‘The best teaching I have had during medical school (…) I loved how interactive, clinically focussed and relevant to F1/F2 each teaching day was’.

‘Consistently received feedback which I have been able to act upon to improve my clinical practice’

‘The improvement in my confidence, understanding & knowledge has been unbelievable’.

‘Simulation session was really useful and enjoyable (…) watching and feeding back is a really helpful way to recognize different clinical presentations and critically analyse ABCDE assessment & communication skills’

‘These teaching sessions are great and unlike anything normally provided on placement’.

The teaching programme has proved to be of such success that the team continue to develop them to integrate further aspects of clinical practice and inter-professional simulation. Furthermore, the team hope to develop themed teaching days for other student year groups to complement their clinical placements.