How Simulated Learning Tools Enhance PA(NP), MD, and EMT Training
An increasing number of universities and medical schools are incorporating simulated learning tools into their lesson plans. These tools are useful when training physician assistants (PAs), medical doctors (MDs), and emergency room technicians (EMTs).
Some examples of simulated learning tools include:
Students can benefit from these simulated tools in various ways, depending on whether they’re studying to become PAs, MDs, or EMTs. Some tools may be more beneficial for specific disciplines, while others may be suitable for all of them.
Below are specific insights into how different simulated tools benefit students undertaking these various medical training disciplines.
1) Eliminates All Risks and Maximizes Safety
The number one reason to use simulated learning tools to train your students is to create a risk-free learning environment for them. Since students are already under immense pressure not to make mistakes while learning, they certainly don’t want to risk hurting anyone.
Simulated learning tools pose no risk of injury to actual patients. Students studying to become PAs, MDs, or EMTs won’t risk hurting anyone if they make mistakes while administering medication or other forms of treatment. That way, students can focus all their attention on their hands-on training without worrying about anything else.
2) Practice Emergency Care Procedures
Training to become an EMT is no easy task. After all, how many opportunities will students have to practice administering emergency care to real people who are injured or sick? And if they do receive these opportunities, they run the risk of injuring or possibly even killing them.
On the other hand, EMT students can practice their emergency care procedures as much as they want on simulated tools resembling human patients, such as high-fidelity and low-fidelity manikins. These life-like simulated tools let EMT students practice all kinds of procedures, such as CPR, bandaging wounds, intubation, stopping bleeding, and IV medication administration.
Medical doctors and physician assistants may need to learn these emergency care procedures, depending on the field of medicine they are studying. But even if they are not practicing emergency care, they can still use manikins to practice conducting physical assessments for diagnosing illnesses.
3) Practice Complex Surgical Techniques
Medical doctorate students are the only ones who will need to learn how to perform complex surgical techniques and procedures on patients. One little mistake on the surgical table could become life-threatening for the patient. That is why medical doctorate students should always first practice surgical techniques using manikins, augmented reality, or virtual reality.
Simulated patients don’t receive surgery from students. However, they are trained to act out the post-surgery recovery phase accurately. It can help medical students practice administering medications and advising patients during their recovery period after surgery.
4) Practice and Enhance Communication Skills
PAs and MDs often communicate vital information about patient's health status to patients and their families. Believe it or not, some medical students lack the interpersonal communication skills needed to convey important medical information. That is where simulated patients can help.
For example, PA and MD students can practice sharing diagnostic health information with simulated patients. Once they receive this information, the simulated patients will react the way a real patient would, whether happy or sad. In that moment, students must practice staying professional by keeping their emotions in line.
Students will learn through trial and error how to calm down patients and their families by reassuring them that everything is being done to help them. The more students communicate with simulated patients in this manner, the better they will get at communicating like true professionals.
5) Practice Highly Complex Clinical Scenarios
Virtual and augmented reality technologies can take simulated medical training to the next level. These technologies can put students in the most realistic and complex clinical scenarios that cannot be practiced any other way.
For example, MDs can use virtual or augmented reality to practice performing sophisticated surgical procedures that they cannot perform on manikins. In fact, some of the newest virtual and augmented reality medical training scenarios include hospital emergency rooms and operating tools.
EMT students can also use virtual and augmented reality simulations to practice treating people in various life-saving scenarios, such as heart attacks and car accidents.
6) Training Customization
Many of the high-end simulated learning tools are customizable and flexible in how they can be used in medical training disciplines. If you shop around for the right tools, you can create many different lessons for them using the same tools repeatedly.
For example, many high-fidelity manikin models let students practice multiple types of medical procedures on them, such as chest compressions, IV insertions, urinary catheterization, lung exams, heart monitoring, and so on.
Therefore, you don’t need to purchase separate manikins for every procedure you want to teach to your students. They can be reused to teach different medical procedures to your PA, EMT, and MD students.
Find the Best Simulated Tools
Are you looking for professional quality simulated learning tools for your students? Pristine Medical is a leading supplier of popular simulated tools, such as manikins and oral medications. You can find dozens of high-quality simulated tools to incorporate into the lessons of the PA, EMT, and MD programs at your school.