BUIES CREEK, North Carolina – Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine’s Simulation Center hosted the National Youth Leadership Foundation’s Medicine Forum in July. 500 high school students from across the country arrived at the medical school for a day of training in the Simulation Center during their week long ENVISION experience.
Campbell medical students taught the ENVISION students clinical skills such as how to insert an IV and lead them through simulation scenarios with manikins under the guidance of faculty and staff.
“Our team planned and the medical students carried out a program that was clearly at the level of the learner, utilized our equipment, and created an effective environment for student-student exchange,” said Dr. Steve Halm, assistant dean and chair of simulation medicine at Campbell’s medical school. “The event required nearly all of the medical school physical space to accommodate 250 students each day – plus 160 of our students and staff. It was a clear win-win event for everyone involved.”
Brett Prestia, CUSOM 2018, is an ENVISION alumnus and served as the Medical Student Volunteer Coordinator working with the Simulation Center faculty and staff to organize 180 medical student volunteers.
“I was impressed with how my fellow medical students interacted with the ENVISON students,” said Prestia. “I was so thrilled to see what amazing mentors and teachers they were. We learned that we, as medical students, actually had a lot to give and teach to others. We don’t often feel like we are at a place where we can give back, but after going through this experience, I think we all realized how far we’ve come in these quick first two years of medical school.”
“I am particularly pleased with the satisfaction our third year students received in sharing and teaching the clinical skills that they have learned at CUSOM in their first two years,” continued Dr. Halm. “Their knowledge and retention of the subjects they taught increased tremendously, as did their self-confidence and pride in CUSOM.”
“My role during the program was to facilitate the pediatric simulation case,” said Lauren Brown (CUSOM 2019) “Being a medical student, it was neat to see the perspective from the other side of the scenario – I am usually the nervous one during the simulation, but being able to operate the technical equipment and to walk the students through the simulation experience was very rewarding. I also learned that it is WAY more fun to be behind the glass of the control room!”
“I worked as a pediatric facilitator and helped the students run through a simulation scenario about dehydration,” said Vanessa Adamson (CUSOM 2019). “I taught them medical terminology for reading vitals as well as how to intervene when a patient is severely dehydrated – this included teaching students how to administer fluids through IV. I loved playing the role of professor and being able to watch the students work together to treat the patient.”
“The most valuable thing about the experience was watching the high school students’ faces light up as they got to experience just a glimpse of their dream to become a doctor,” said Prestia. “They were ready and eager to learn and interact with the medical students. In every activity, they were enthusiastically volunteering, asking questions, and correctly doing the procedures and labs. At the end of the day, we even had to force some students to leave the sim lab or risk them missing their bus.”
Jessica Yap (CUSOM 2018) and other student volunteers agreed that the enthusiasm was tangible and that teaching solidified the medical students’ own confidence in their knowledge.
“As the facilitator at one of the ultrasound stations in the anatomy lab, I got to teach the students how to examine the structures of the arm,” said Yap. “It was really gratifying to see how excited they got when they made the connection between the movement of their fingers and the tendons moving onscreen. Teaching a topic really cements the concepts in my own memory. This experience was valuable not only for my own review, but also for the chance to invest in the education of these students.”
“Hosting the Envision program was a marvelous opportunity for both the Sim Team and our CUSOM students!” said Brian Mann, MS, PA-C, director of simulation education at Campbell. “While having discussion with several of the ENVISION students during lunch, each expressed different ideas where they saw themselves in the very near future. One young lady expressed the desire to be a surgeon and inquired about the time and dedication needed to achieve such a goal. Another student expressed interest in the physician assistant (PA) program here at Campbell, and she was able to talk to our PA recruiter. While shaking each of their hands as they exited the building to go home for the day, one student looked me in the eyes and said ‘I’m going to come to Campbell for school and this was awesome.’ – what more could we ask for?”