Virginia Research Day 2022

Medical Student Research Educational

04 COVID-19 Vaccination Simulation Training And Assessment

Caleb Ramey; Theresa J. McCann; Katherine Jamison; Watson Edwards Corresponding author: cramey@vt.vcom.edu

VCOM Virginia

that may occur as a result of this study will be managed by VCOM’s psychologist, Dr. Magalhaes. The need for simulation center support is also expected. Plans are underway to assess views of students in year two through either a survey or focus group in order to obtain experiential feedback from those who have volunteered as nontraditional vaccinators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This ongoing project fits well with VCOM’s emphasis on a team effort in providing patient care and enhances VCOM’s mission of reaching underserved and rural populations.

vaccinators have been deployed to Virginia Department of Health vaccination sites, nursing homes, schools, construction sites, and recreation centers over the past two years. As part of the curriculum, VCOM provides a brief, hands-on, checklist-based intramuscular injection training during block one of medical school in the simulation lab. We have built on that training with several short refresher simulation practice sessions for students in year two of basic sciences (blocks five through eight). We are extending the same MRC opportunities for training to become a non-traditional vaccinator for first-year medical students as has been done for prior years. The simulation sessions are conducted with prosthetic skin and water; thus, contact with bodily fluids or hazardous materials do not occur during these training sessions. Additionally, any psychological distress

Simulation based medical education (SBME) is used in many medical settings. In the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilization of vaccination capacity has been emphasized with many types of traditional and non-traditional vaccinators pulled into service. It is critical that medical students volunteering as vaccinators demonstrate knowledge, confidence, and competence. Later in clinical rotations, there are likely opportunities for students to vaccinate patients during care, so these interpersonal skills are important for long-term learning. In agreement with the New River Health District, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) students must have Medical Reserve Corp (MRC) approval to volunteer, completion of Virginia Department of Health (VDH) training modules, and VCOM faculty supervision when vaccinating. Student

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