On Friday, (April 28) UNMC will sponsor a mini-symposium titled “Educating 21st Century Health Professionals: Clinical Skills Development through Simulation.”
This will be the first in a series of mini-symposia, all focusing on contemporary issues in health science education especially in relationship to the anticipated opening of the new Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education.
“This highlights the next major area we want to become world-class in,” said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean for graduate studies. “We’re well on our way already with some of the best teachers and innovators, but a lot of places have specialty groups that look at education and think about education and innovations in education. We want to have this dialogue.”
On Friday, two nationally recognized speakers, William McGaghie, Ph.D., Office of Medical Education and Faculty Development, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and registered nurse Deborah Spunt, Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, University of Maryland School of Nursing, will describe how simulation training is important in educating medicine and nursing professionals.
Spunt’s presentation is titled “Developing Clinical Simulation for Education and Evaluation of Healthcare Professionals.” She is responsible for the organization and daily operations of 24 clinical simulation labs on the University of Maryland’s main campus and four labs at two outreach sites across the state.
Dr. McGaghie will present “What are the Features and Uses of High-Fidelity Medical Simulations that Lead to Effective Learning?” His research and writing in medical education and preventive medicine ranges widely including such topics as personnel and program evaluation, research methodology, medical simulations, attitude measurement, medical student selection, concept mapping, curriculum development, faculty development, standardized patients and geriatrics.
Additionally, UNMC’s Paul Paulman, M.D., and Jim Medder, M.D., will describe Web-based systems for managing health science educational content (videos, pictures, models, etc.) that can facilitate sharing of materials that will support simulation training as well as other curricular components. They also will give a brief demo of the program capabilities of eDoc, a UNMC College of Medicine electronic searchable database containing educational resources for residents, students and faculty.
A panel of senior faculty and administrators representing each of the major health science programs — Jay Moore, M.D., Cathy Todero, Ph.D., and Mary Haven — will make comments and field questions related to their disciplinary areas as well as discuss the potential for enhanced interprofessional training approaches.
Dr. Pamies encourages students, faculty and “anyone interested in education” to attend the mini-symposium and learn more about new paradigms in student learning. The symposium runs from 7:30 a.m. to noon in Cooper Auditorium, College of Nursing, Room 1011-12. Pre-registration is required. To register call 559-5929 or register online at www.unmc.edu/coned.