Wednesday, May 14, 2014

MSMS Faculty will attend INACSL Conference in Orlando June 18-20, 2014




Representatives from the Drexel University Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation Program will be at the International Nursing Simulation Learning Resource Centers Conference in Orlando, Florida on June 18-20, 2014.  

Come and visit us at booth # 334 or 
at the breakfast coffee break on Friday morning!





To find out more about the MSMS program check out our website atdrexelmed.edu/mssim and follow us on twitter @mssimdrexel


Drexel Simulation Team Competes at Lehigh Valley SimWars

                                                        

Lessons learned from Daring Greatly. 1

Dr. Brene Brown begins her book with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” —Theodore Roosevelt

It isn't often that we boast about times when we don't come away with the “win”.  Yet, this is the time to make an exception.  Yes, I do like to “win” but it is true that winning isn’t everything. It is so important to highlight the times and events in life when we can say that we came away from an event learning an incredible amount about ourselves, our purpose in healthcare education, and the efforts we've been pouring into a simulation program over the last several years. 

On April 9th and 10th the Drexel simulation team participated in a SimWars® event hosted by Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania. As someone who has participated both on stage and as a judge of SimWars® competitions, I can honestly say that SimWars® experience has challenged me to Dare Greatly.  After each experience from both sides of the fence, I find myself carefully reflecting upon the aspects of our simulation curriculum.  It takes an incredible amount of courage to get up on stage and effectively communicate with colleagues, take care of patients and manage chaos in front of an audience.  Yet, James Connelly, MD, John Erbayri, NREMT-P, Greg Owsik, MD, Melissa Fox, RN, Jami Smith, PA-C, Casey Hand, MD, Barry Mitchneck, RN and Russell Goldstein, MD readily rose to the challenge.  They comprise a group of healthcare providers with experience ranging from finishing the first year of residency to over 20 years of patient care experience. 



I was overwhelmingly proud of our Sim Wars Teams as they drew upon deep pools of knowledge, used effective crisis resource management communication skills, and truly delivered great examples of healthcare delivery.  Their simulation performances reminded me that most healthcare errors can be traced back to poor communication or lack of provider knowledge or skills.  Simulation allows the opportunity to practice, make mistakes and learn from them in a safe environment away from patients.  Athletes, musicians, pilots, hairdressers and chess players practice -- why isn’t it a standard in healthcare provider training?

Our trainees know that the more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know.  I learn something each time I have the opportunity to participate in a simulation session.  I am grateful that our program has been fortunate to invest in the advancement of simulation education and I thank all of our Sim Team, participants and educators for stepping into the ring with me as they dare greatly.

References


1.          Brown B. DARING GREATLY: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. New York, NY: Gotham Books published by the Penguin Group; 2012.

To find out more about the MSMS program check out our website atdrexelmed.edu/mssim and follow us on twitter @mssimdrexel

Friday, May 2, 2014

MSMS Faculty Scott Lind, MD Discusses Simulation Use at Drexel University College of Medicine


Dr. Scott Lind, chairman of surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, has partnered with Operative Experience Inc. to change the face of surgical accreditation in the United States by introducing a competency-based assessment of surgical skills using the lifelike dummies created by OEI.
Currently, surgical residents need to pass both a written and oral exam in order to certify as surgeons. Similarly, surgeons looking to recertify need to take a written exam every few years. “Nowhere in there do you have to demonstrate that you can operate,” Lind said.

The lack of a hands-on skills assessment is exacerbated by a developing problem in surgery today. Surgeries are trending toward minimally invasive procedures that rely on small incisions and technology to reduce postoperative pain, scarring and recovery time.


While this method benefits the patient, it also means that residents have little experience with open surgery. When complications arise and the body cavity needs to be opened up further, residents must employ a skill set they have hardly practiced before.


From the Triange Newspaper at Drexel University: http://thetriangle.org/news/hands-test-comes-med-school/
To find out more about the MSMS program check out our website at drexelmed.edu/mssim and follow us on twitter @mssimdrexel

Thoughts About Upcoming Courses in the MSMS Program by faculty member Suzie Kardong-Edgren

I cannot tell you how hard I have prepared for the theory lectures for the MS.701S for this fall 2014. I know there is a split between medicine and social sciences that happened way back in the 1700-1800s , having to do with theory…I know this because I found a fabulous book about this in the airport bookstore one day  (I only shop in the most discriminating of places).

Hopefully everyone in the course may have had some exposure to theory and why it is important…but maybe not. I WANT everyone to understand the point and why theory is important. When we conduct a study, we are not hopefully doing it up without some background, observation, previous study, etc. Deciding to do something out of the blue with no rationale is not usually fundable (not the only reason to do research, but often a driving force in research) …”the progress of any discipline is measured by the scope and quality of its theories and the extent to which its community of scholars is engaged in theory development” (Meleis, p. 188).  We should ask ourselves, what are the central questions in the field of simulation? What is it we still don’t know that would make our scenarios more memorable, have bigger impact, allow participants to carry what they have learned into the field…provide better patient care, work better as a team…if you want to study ahead  and get ready for fall and the first practicum course, I suggest reading some of the articles in the monograph published by Simulation in Healthcare 6(6) supplement in 2011. When people call me and ask what needs to be studied, I refer them to this journal and the articles therein. Some of these articles refer to theories commonly used in medical simulation…bravo!  Hopefully you will know some before you get to this class. You will be joining a community of scholars in simulation, no matter what your intended job in simulation will be. So, be ready to come with open minds and think about those questions you have wondered about when you see or participate in simulation. The field is new…there are many open questions. However, theory will link the questions we ask into a coherent whole to move the discipline forward.

See you soon!
Suzie Kardong-Edgren

To find out more about the MSMS program check out our website atdrexelmed.edu/mssim and follow us on twitter @mssimdrexel