Virginia Research Day 2021

Faculty Research Educational

Sofia Abraham-Hardee, DO; Carrie Baker, DO; Watson Edwards, BSN; Kim Gittings, BSN; Janella Looney, MSHI; Ryan Martin, HSOS; Fred Rawlins, DO; Ning Cheng, PhD Corresponding author: wedwards@vcom.vt.edu 03 Measuring Performance Outcomes in Second-Year Medical Students Within the Neonatal Curriculum Design Utilizing High-Fidelity Manikin Simulators

Via College of Osteopathic Medicine–Virginia Campus

Using instructional design strategies and advancements in simulation technology, medical educators are bridging the gap between didactic lectures and clinical practice. The general purpose of our study is to compare the level of second year medical students’ understanding of neonatal resuscitation after didactic, online module, and simulation-based learning. Similarly, comparing the students’ exam performance to their ability to apply their knowledge clinically was examined. In this longitudinal pretest-posttest design, along with a single quantitative evaluation, 163 second-year osteopathic medical students were evaluated during a college-approved neonatal simulation course. The students’ medical knowledge was assessed longitudinally through prescribed educational modalities. These modalities included a single lecture, an online educational module, and an experiential neonatal resuscitation workshop. A pretest quiz was

delivered to all students prior to any instructional event. Following each of the prescribed educational modalities, the same posttest quiz was provided to all students. Following instructional activities, students entered the neonatal simulation assessment in teams of two. Each pair of students received the same scenario of a “Depressed Newborn” requiring a team resuscitation using the Neonatal Algorithm. An objective simulation checklist was utilized to assess each team of students. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the data. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test for ordinary variables was used to compare the students’ knowledge change during the pre- and posttest interventions. A McNemar test was used to compare the students’ overall knowledge gain from final posttest with their final performance simulation levels. There was significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores of students through each

prescribed educational modality (quiz1 vs pretest p-value <0.001, quiz2 vs pretest p-value <0.001, quiz3 vs pretest p-value <0.001). There was no significant difference between the final posttest quiz result and the simulation assessment score (p-value: 0.1524). However, significant difference was observed between the first and second posttest when compared with the simulation assessment score (p-value: <0.001 and 0.0044, respectively). Additional research should be conducted to include a simulation assessment pretest to compare student knowledge application. The instructional strategies employed during the neonatal simulation course promoted knowledge gains using the prescribed education modalities evident by the improvement in posttest quiz scores. Additional research is needed to measure student application of knowledge using manikin-based simulation activities.

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