RSU Students Practice in Simulated Hospital
Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) has implemented an unprecedented project in Latvian medical education – the Medical Education Technology Centre (METC) has set up a simulated hospital with a department of internal diseases, a department of surgery, as well as treatment rooms, a nurse post, and wards with mannequins and patient actors.
Around 90 third-year international medical students who have not been able to practice in their home countries due to the pandemic have undergone two weeks of clinical care practice at the simulated hospital. Practice in this kind of a format clearly demonstrates both the innovative approach of the RSU METC and the importance of simulation-based education in preparing specialists for their first contact with patients in a hospital.
The simulation-based medical education for prospective doctors and nurses at RSU focuses on patient safety and the quality of healthcare and is divided into four stages: theoretical lectures, practical classes, preclinical practice in a simulated hospital like the METC, and only then working with patients in a real hospital. Although it is common for RSU students to train their preclinical skills, this is the first time in the history of the university that such a large-scale programme has been implemented, involving more than 30 patient actors. A total of 20 "patients" - eight well-equipped mannequins and 12 people who responded to MITC's call - stayed in the "wards" every day.
‘In a hospital, processes related to patients are not divided into topics and classes. Several activities take place consecutively and often even parallel to each other. The simulated hospital at the METC works like a real hospital. The nursing post receives phone calls, patient calls are made to the wards, and patients are transported to examinations. It isn’t only technical skills that are important for working in a hospital, but being able to prioritise, communicate with patients and healthcare professionals, calculate dosages, educate and support patients, identify patients, and other non-technical skills such as these can be improved in our simulated hospital,’ says Ieva Šlēziņa, the Director of the RSU METC. It took several months to prepare everything needed for the practice, from equipment and premises to scenarios and preparing people for their roles of patient. As a result, even the smallest details have been thought out – ampoules of simulated medication, artificial blood, faeces, urine, wounds, and even catheters that are glued in place for administering medication.
‘During the practice, students gain a better understanding of hospital processes. If a blood test needs to be taken, for example, the student must be able to find the designation on the order sheet, select the appropriate equipment, identify the right patient, explain the planned action before the manipulation, tidy up the work area after themselves, send the sample to the laboratory, and document their work,’ says certified nurse Madara Blumberga, METC Simulation-Based Education Development Manager in Nursing.
Attracting and training simulated patients takes a lot of work. According to Sergejs Babikovs, lecturer at the RSU Department of Internal Medicine and a simulation instructor at the METC, ‘Each participant was prepared for their role according to a scenario, and everyone was highly motivated to maintain the illusion of a hospital and their characters. We had patients with puncture wounds, pancreatitis, and other ailments. The programme was valuable in several ways: as an opportunity for patients to prepare themselves for the clinic in a safe way, as a partial insight into the working rhythm of the hospital and as a chance to learn about various complaints and the course and experience of different diseases in a safe environment.’
