Innovative Simulated Hospital Environment Enhances a Wide Skillset of Third-Year Medical Students

OBJECTIVES
Simulated environment is a key training phase in medical studies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic numerous challenges arose in education field,including the possibility for medical students have their practical placement in the real clinical environment at university hospitals. For this reason, a simulated hospital was created at Riga Stradins University (RSU) Medical Education Technology Centre (METC). An intensive, close to real life simulated hospital was organized for students of RSU with simulated patients, mannequins and simulated scenarios,also mentors who guided and supported students. In this article we demonstrate the main innovative solutions that made this event a success.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The two-week long simulated hospital (December’21 and April’22) gathered ~140 international 3rd year students who had to take care for more than 30 simulated patients and 8 equipped mannequins.

The students had to attend not only the patients,organize logistics,run the labs,but also fill in the clinical documentation (patient charts,drug scheduling,referrals,patient safety incident reporting-learning system),as well as answer real phone calls,divide and prioritize tasks for the day.

The students filled out a self-evaluation survey before and after, gave feedback regarding the training process.

RESULTS
According to the post-survey in scale from 1-to-5 (from poor to excellent) in 2021 the students (n=63) evaluated the practical placement and concept of simulated hospital as satisfying (24%) and good (57%), whereas in 2022 the students (n=82) evaluated it as good (37%) and excellent (54%).

However, the students had challenges finding the right tools, learn to use equipment in such a short time and calculate the right amount of medication before attending the patient.

CONCLUSIONS
The simulated hospital will be repeated as a training also after the pandemic as an annual part of medical students’ curriculum,because it gives an essential chance for students to train,using their technical and soft skills in a safe environment that would not be possible elsewhere.