Teaching Preclinical Medical Students Basic Acute Care Skills with Full-Scale Human Simulation

Background: Simulation-based training and assessment have gained traction in medical education, though their usefulness to preclinical students remains unclear. Our objectives were to determine (1) the feasibility of a simulation module for teaching students with little or no previous experience in managing undifferentiated, acutely ill patients and (2) its impact on students’ knowledge and attitudes about critical care. Methods: Participants at two medical schools served as their own controls in a pre- and post-intervention design. Students were asked to independently manage an acutely ill patient, and after which, they received teaching on basic life support principles. We evaluated performance with a critical actions checklist, and knowledge and attitudes with a written test before intervention, immediately after, and 6 weeks later. Results: A total of 41 students participated, of which 34 (83 %) were in their first year of medical school. Mean knowledge scores improved from 45.3 to 76.4 %, and retention remained higher than pre-test levels. Only 17 (41 %) students performed the majority of the critical actions in simulation, yet there was a significant improvement in students’ comfort level and self-reported understanding of critical care after the experience and upon retesting. Conclusion: Teaching preclinical students acute care skills with a high-fidelity simulator is feasible and promotes interest in critical care. © 2014, International Association of Medical Science Educators.