Anesthesia Interest Group’s Simulator Stations Workshop Provides Advanced Hands-On Training
Simulated (SIM) medical training is an integral part of today’s medical education—and on February 11, advanced SIM training was front-and-center at New York Medical College (NYMC) during the Task Simulator Stations Workshop.
Simulated (SIM) medical training is an integral part of today’s medical education—and on February 11, advanced SIM training was front-and-center at New York Medical College (NYMC) during the Task Simulator Stations Workshop hosted by the Anesthesia Interest Group (AIG) in collaboration with the staff at the Clinical Skills and Simulation Center (CSSC). Thirty medical students, from all four classes, attended the workshop which was led by board-certified anesthesiologists, Garret Weber, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and clerkship director at NYMC and preoperative assessment clinical director general anesthesia at Westchester Medical Center (WMC), and Andrew Iskander, M.D., two anesthesiology residents, Cindy Wong, M.D., and Joon Kim, M.D and Elli Levy, M.A., manager of simulation technologies at the CSSC.
“Approximately 100 students expressed interest in participating in the workshop, but we could only accommodate 30 students to ensure a productive event,” says Dr. Weber. During the training event, students rotated through four simulation stations including: 1) Adult and Pediatric Airway; 2) Point-Of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) 3) Epidural/Neuraxial; and 4) Ultrasound Technique.
According to Dr. Weber, the AIG has significantly expanded the scope of these student workshops. By going beyond SIM training targeted for students interested in studying anesthesiology, the workshop had more universal appeal—making it popular even among those students not necessarily planning to specialize in anesthesiology.
“This year we added pediatric/adult airway management as well advanced airway management with many of the difficult airway rescue equipment. We also incorporated live ultrasound point-of-care scanning with an emphasis on-point-of-care echocardiography, neuroanatomy and vascular anatomy for central venous cannulation. Finally, we delved into neuraxial anatomy with our epidural/spinal task trainer,” Dr. Weber says.
Cody Reiber, School of Medicine Class of 2022, explains that during his first two years as a med student, much of his time has been dedicated to memorizing what is written in a textbook, or seen on a PowerPoint slide. “Events like the one sponsored by the Anesthesia Interest Group give context to what we are learning in class, and shows students real world applications of what we are learning,” Mr. Reiber says.
Katharine Yamulla, M.A., CHSE, director of the CSSC and senior director of competency based assessment and clinical skills education, praises the collaboration and expertise that the educators from WMC bring to clinical skills experiences at the CSSC. “We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team of physicians, educators and simulation specialists volunteering their time and expertise to enhance the training of our medical students. I look forward to many other experiences evolving in the future,” she says.