A pregnant woman comes to UF Health Jacksonville, where she undergoes a C-section delivery. The baby is doing well. The same can’t be said about the mother, though.
Doctors perform an emergency hysterectomy, leaving the first-time mother unable to have any more children. She remains unconscious in the intensive care unit.
The woman’s family is in the waiting area eager to see mother and child. At this point, they’re unaware of the complications. Three doctors prepare to sit down with the family to give them an update. However, the baby’s father is disruptive, rowdy and insensitive toward the mother’s condition. On top of his antics, the woman’s father passes out in the waiting area and needs immediate medical attention.
How should the doctors handle all of this?
These type of unpredictable emergency situations were played out during competitions called Simulation Wars, which were part of the April 7-11 Medical Education Week at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville.
Several of the college’s medical residents were divided into four ad hoc teams. Three of the teams had three members. The other had two members. The residents were from the emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and surgery departments.
During each round, they were quickly briefed on a hypothetical medical situation and had to figure out among themselves the best way to proceed. However, the residents had no idea what would come their way via the simulation actors, who played the roles of patients, loved ones and random onlookers.
The other two simulation scenarios involved a man who had a seizure while at the hospital with a loved one and a woman who went into labor in the hospital’s dining area. After two rounds of judged competition, residents Karl Horn, MD (emergency medicine), Jilma Patrick, MD (surgery), and Amy Haddock, MD (obstetrics and gynecology), were named the winning team.
“The main objective this year was to allow for the formation of ad hoc teams in non-clinical environments to manage basic clinical emergencies,” said Sim Wars facilitator Lisa Jacobson, MD, who manages the Center for Simulation Education and Safety Research (CSESaR).
“We addressed some of the complexities of the disclosure of bad news as well as the management of difficult patients or difficult patient families,” Jacobson said. “I am pleased with this year’s results. I believe we were successful in achieving our educational goals.”
Advances in Medical Education
Recognition and awards were doled out during the week’s Advances in Medical Education program, which – like the Sim Wars – took place inside the Learning Resource Center auditorium. The purpose was to celebrate innovations and discoveries in medical education that occurred on the UF Health Jacksonville campus.
Thirty educational projects were on display in the LRC’s atrium. Nathan Graves, DPM, and Cynthia Leaphart, MD, each won the Most Outstanding Trainee Poster award for their projects.
Graves, an orthopaedic surgery resident, had a project titled “Hands-on ankle arthroscopy: a novel approach to resident selection.” Leaphart, a patient safety fellow, had one titled “Lessons learned from annual patient safety training in the College of Medicine may guide future curriculum needs.”
Petra Duran-Gehring, MD, won the Most Outstanding Faculty/Staff Poster award. She is an assistant professor of emergency medicine. Her project was titled “Improvement of vascular access in difficult IV access patients through the use of ultrasound-guided peripheral IVs by ED technicians.”
This year’s group of 70 exemplary teachers and 10 outstanding resident teachers were also recognized during the event.
Middle-schoolers at nearby Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts attended the event, as they presented their award-winning science fair projects that day. Their involvement is one part of the preparatory school’s multi-faceted relationship with UF.
“They have been a highlight of the day over the years,” said Elisa Zenni, MD, associate dean for educational affairs. “Our faculty and residents have been inspired by interacting with these student scientists.”
Emergency medicine professor Robert Wears, MD, PhD, MS, was the keynote speaker during the program. His presentation was about patient safety in graduate medical education. Among the many challenges, he said there’s a limited understanding of safety science; the patient-safety community is divided along philosophical lines; and it’s often hard to distinguish between simple, complex and complicated safety concerns in health care settings.
“We are fortunate to have a world expert on patient safety at our institution,” Zenni said about Wears. “Patient safety is an area of emphasis of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and his presentation was very timely.”
The UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville has held Medical Education Week each year since 2008. It used to consist of just a few conferences but now also includes a faculty-development workshop, Sim Wars and the Advances in Medical Education event.
“This is a terrific week for us to celebrate our 400 faculty doctors, 360 residents and fellows as well as all UF medical, pharmacy and nursing students who train in Jacksonville,” said Daniel R. Wilson, MD, PhD, dean of the UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville. “Thank you for your loyal service to our mission of education, research and clinical care.”
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