| Decades ago, learning specialists determined that when
teaching people to do something where the stakes are high and it’s important to
do it correctly—say, for instance, flying a plane—it’s effective to train them
in a simulated environment that mimics the real deal. Since caring for patients
is also a pretty high-stakes endeavor, it made sense to design an entire suite
in the Alpert Medical School building that simulates an outpatient physician’s
office.
In each exam room, there’s a tall, reclining table for
patients, blood pressure cuffs and otoscopes attached to the wall, and a
computer. These rooms are extra wide, allowing a small group of students and
mentors to stand comfortably depending on the teaching exercise. There are
video cameras that record exchanges between students and the actors who serve
as their “patients,” and they provide a live feed to the control room, where
all of the rooms can be scanned at once.
All of this is used to hone Alpert medical students’ patient
interviewing and physical exam skills. With the guidance of their teachers,
students are able to practice what they are learning on the standardized
patients (SPs). It’s safe—for the students who aren’t paralyzed by the fear of
making a mistake with a real patient, and for those real patients at the mercy
of a doctor in training.
The only flaw in the authenticity of the space, says Dana
Zink, RN, who oversees the Clinical Skills Suite and recruits, trains, and
manages the SPs, is “it’s a lot nicer than the offices where many of our
faculty work.”
Jump right in
Above: Each Doctoring group of eight students is assigned to a
seminar room and an exam room. Four students can head to the exam room to work
with a standardized patient, while four stay with a social-behavioral faculty member
to work on interviewing or counseling skills. Director of the Doctoring Course
and of Clinical Curriculum Julie S. Taylor, MD, helps Amed Logrono ’12 MD’16
don his white coat for the first time.
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