Broad range of practical simulation courses
22.04.2008
Practical simulator exercises are a very important aspect of the training of medical students as well as for the training and continuing education of physicians. With this in view, the Mainz University Medical Center is keen to further enhance and develop the courses it has on offer. And this is a task to which the student-run Mainz Skills Lab and Simulation Center in the Department of Anesthesiology are thoroughly committed. These two innovative training facilities have been working together since 2005 and are now sharing the same rooms and facilities. "In our new premises and in collaboration with the Simulation Center at the Clinic of Anesthesiology, the Mainz Skills Lab now offers a wide range of practical courses for medical students. There are many simulators and devices for practicing various medical procedures, a wide-ranging collection of teaching materials as well as facilities for study groups and those interested in gaining more practical experience in addition to attending lectures," said Simon Diestelmeier, one of the student employees at the Mainz Skills Lab.
The Mainz Skills Lab was formed in 2003 as the result of a competition initiated by the University Medical Center at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). This competition had the objective of improving teaching quality. The purely student-initiated project that led to the creation of the Mainz Skills Lab has set itself the task of improving practical training facilities at the University Medical Center. The Skills Lab offers many courses relating to medical practice. For example, students can attend training courses on suturing and ultrasound techniques supervised by physicians of the Mainz University Medical Center using the equipment and simulators in the Skills Lab. The Self-Learning Center provides medical students the opportunity to practice medical techniques on skill and task trainers under the guidance of experienced student employees. These practical training exercises enable students to practice what they have previously learned in the courses at the Skills Lab.
The Simulation Center at the Department of Anesthesiology is not only used as a training center for physicians, but also as a facility for research into the fields of simulation and its relevance to medical training. It offers courses for resident physicians and specialists on topics such as ventilation techniques, intensive care referrals within hospitals, management of anesthesiological incidents, and on emergency medicine for future emergency physicians. In addition, seminars on emergency medicine-relevant topics are offered for specialists in internal medicine. The participants can thus practice treating anaphylactic shock induced by exposure to drugs, acute coronary syndrome during hospitalization, or the use of techniques in line with current resuscitation guidelines. "In the courses, we use patient simulators, so-called dummies, which employ computer-generated models to illustrate or mimic all vital functions in a very realistic manner," explained the Director of the Simulation Center, Professor Dr. Wolfgang Heinrichs. "All important treatment procedures can be performed immediately. The dummies can be ventilated, given medical treatment, or even resuscitated. The computer models automatically respond to the treatment being performed – positively or negatively." In addition to the simulator dummies used in emergency medicine and anesthesia courses, the Simulation Center also has other simulators for practicing endoscopy, bronchoscopy, cardiac, and surgical procedures.
"The financial and conceptual support of the Skills Lab is an especially important concern of the Faculty of Medicine," emphasized Professor Dr. Dr. Reinhard Urban, Chief Scientific Officer of the Mainz University Medical Center. "Medical students can practice differential diagnostic techniques and the treatment of disorders. Here they can supplement their existing theoretical knowledge in practical situations through case-specific learning with medical dummies and devices that use cutting-edge multimedia technologies. Our Skills Lab is thus a forward-looking institution and the logical complement to the range of services provided at the Mainz University Medical Center. It will make sustainable improvements to the practical training of our students, particularly with regard to the requirements they need to meet to obtain their medical license. In addition to providing start-up financing of EUR 100,000, the Mainz University Medical Center has decided to bear the personnel and material expenses of about EUR 30,000 annually needed to keep the Skills Lab operational."