Ward Round Simulation
Grace has been working with Dr Sally Wege and Dr Sarah Rosen at the Royal United Hospital (Bath) to develop a Ward Round Simulation to teach junior doctors and medical students important ward rounding skills.
The teaching revolved around 3 common ward round scenarios, where learners were required to assess a patient then formulate, document and communicate a plan, followed by a simulation de-brief. 2 learners participated in each scenario, with one acting as leader and the other documenting the ward round. Learners were provided with authentic paper and electronic records such as drug charts and observation charts, consistent in format with those in use on medical wards. They were also introduced to a medical ward round checklist as an aide memoire to carry out a comprehensive and safe ward round.
The simulation was assessed by measuring learners’ confidence before and after the teaching. Confidence was self-rated on a scale of 1-10, and divided into confidence leading and confidence documenting the ward round. We also collected feedback on the simulation session and checklist.
Following the success of the F1 simulations, it was adapted for use with fourth year medical students whilst on their CMOP clerkship. This was piloted with students on placement at the RUH (Bath), and was subsequently shared with Bristol’s other clinical academies.
Grace, Sally and Sarah have presented this work at the RCP Trainees Conference (December 2020) and at the International Conference on Medical Education (April 2021), and have published in Future Healthcare Journal.
‘Meet the Author’
Bristol Medical School is home to world-leading researchers in the fields of ageing and geriatric medicine. In order to showcase the brilliant work happening locally and connect medical students with potential mentors, Grace has recorded a series of ‘Meet the Author’ interviews with Bristol academics. Each video pertains to a particular publication in the field of geriatric medicine, and both are linked as resources to the relevant case within CMOP.
#CMOPBookClub
The COVID pandemic has seen a surge in online medical book clubs, highlighting the efficacy of this modality to foster essential skills, such as literacy, communication, critical thinking, empathy and compassion. In particular, within geriatrics and undergraduate education, innovative methods such as this provide a ‘safe space’ for students to explore and reflect on abstract and difficult issues, such as ageing and dying, before being confronted with them in their professional clinical practice.
A book club was introduced as part of CMOP at its inception. An initial list of 9 books was compiled, chosen for the engaging and accessible manner in which they explored themes of ageing and dying. Student were expected to meet in local discussion groups whilst on placement at their clinical academy, and they were also offered the opportunity to engage in discussions on Twitter using the hashtag #CMOPBookClub.
