VCOM View Vol 8-1

A Higher Standard for Skilled Physicians Written by Lily Knights V COM students spend a great deal of time practicing the skills they will use in their careers as physicians. During the first In recent years, VCOM–Carolinas faculty members Todd Zusmer, DO, Medical Director of Procedural

Clinical Skills; and Chris Martin, Director of Simulation; along with Watson Edwards, BSN, VCOM–Virginia Director of Simulation; Linda Frasca, MD, VCOM–Virginia Discipline Chair of Underserved Care; and Fred Rawlins, DO, Vice Provost of Simulation and Educational Technology, have worked together to restructure these labs, developing the program into a truly integral part of each medical student’s career. The new framework begins with independent study. Students receive information about specific procedures and study to improve their understanding and vocabulary. A pre-quiz is conducted prior to the lab and reviewed when

two years of medical school, they learn from working with lifelike manikins in the Simulation and Educational Technology Center, role play with acting “patients” during Standardized Patient testing and spend time at local clinics with actual patients. In addition, VCOM offers Clinical Procedural Skills Labs that provide hands-on learning opportunities to develop the techniques that the medical students will use throughout their medical education and careers. Originally, these labs were somewhat informal. Students who attended were able to work with faculty on clinical procedures and ask questions.

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Vol. 8 No. 1 | Fall 2015