HSC Education Days

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

2-3-2023

Abstract

PURPOSE Hands-on learning opportunities in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology are generally less available to medical students due to the intimate nature of the specialty. The University of New Mexico School of Medicine’s Obstetrics and Gynecology faculty have created and implemented a novel simulation curriculum in order to supplement hands-on learning practice for procedural, exam and clinical reasoning skills for medical students. METHODS Third-year medical students on their Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship perform simulated tasks during a half-day session, typically in the second week of the six-week clerkship. Students use a Likert scale to reflect on their self-efficacy in performing the tasks before and after each Obstetric and Gynecologic simulation set, resulting in a total of four surveys per student. The mean confidence ratings before and after each simulation are then compared to determine if a significant increase has occurred as a result of the simulation exercise. RESULTS Four Obstetrics and Gynecology clerkship blocks, two blocks from the class of 2023 and two from the class of 2024, with a total of 42 medical students have participated in the study. The preliminary results indicate the simulation exercises have a statistically significant impact on increasing students’ self-efficacy for each task. CONCLUSION Simulated activities provide medical students hands-on learning opportunities, and participation in these exercises increases students’ confidence in performing exams, procedures and clinical reasoning skills that are commonly encountered in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Increasing student confidence is vital to encourage application of proficient skills in real-world clinical encounters. Our intent is to collect data for a total of one year in duration, with three additional clerkship blocks from the class of 2024 to be enrolled for final analysis.

Comments

This poster was presented during the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Education Days.

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