Simulation in Surgical Education (MEDS90015)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Off Campus
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
| Availability | January - Off Campus |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Simulation as an educational method is of growing importance in surgical education. Several drivers contribute to this growth including the patient safety movement, safe working hours and technology developments of simulators.
In the United Kingdom, the Chief Medical Officer has identified simulation as one of the top five challenges for the health services and education in this decade. The last twenty years has seen an exponential growth on scholarly work on surgical simulation with specialised journals competing with clinical practice journals for impact factor.
In the United States, it is now mandatory for surgeons to be credentialed in simulation for specific surgical procedures prior to performing the procedures on real patients. It is likely this trend will expand to more procedures and across national boundaries.
The Australian Government is also planning substantial investment in simulation-based education for medicine, nursing and allied health professionals. This subject will contribute to students' understanding of social, political, economic and educational aspects of simulation.
This subject explores the scope of simulation as an educational method for surgical practice. It goes beyond the role of simulators for the development of psychomotor skills to include blended simulation modalities and the role of simulated patients. Additionally, the validation of simulators will be explored considering industry standards.
The overall aims of the subject are:
- To explore the role of simulation as an educational method for surgical training
- To identify benefits and challenges of simulation in surgical training
Intended learning outcomes
After completing the subject participants should be able to:
- Discuss the rationale for simulation-based education in surgery
- Discuss the educational theory relevant to simulation-based education
- Outline essentials for effective simulation-based education
- Describe and appraise simulator technologies to support surgical training e.g. ASSET
- Describe the capability of simulation to develop the complex sets of skills required for safe surgical practice
- Outline the role of simulated patients in surgical education
- Describe educational methods for effective teaching of clinical communication
- Describe the role of simulation in supporting the development of teamwork skills
- Design a learning activity for a session on clinical communication or team working.
Generic skills
- Integration of complex simulation strategies into cohesive educational strategies
- Understanding of educational models and strategies for integrating and assessing simulator-assisted teaching
- Study skills related to a range of educational methods
- Presentation skills
- Academic reading skills
- Academic writing
- Applying theory to practice
- Reference manager skills
- Work effectively within a small group
- Learn independently
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted in GC-SURGED, GD-SURGED or MC-SURGED. Students enrolling in this subject as a single subject under the Community Access Program must meet the entrance requirements for the MC-SURGED. This subject is not available for students admitted in any other courses.
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEDS90006 | Context of Surgical Education | January (Off Campus) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90007 | Learning & Teaching in Surgical Practice | January (Off Campus) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90008 | Educational Theory for Surgical Training | Semester 2 (Early-Start) (Off Campus) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90009 | Curriculum Design in Surgical Education | Semester 2 (Early-Start) (Off Campus) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Online tutorial presentation. In this assessment, students reflect on their simulation-based experience of teaching and/or learning from the study day. They are expected to integrate educational theory in support of their experience and to identify best practice. 10 minutes presentation and 10 minutes presenter-led discussion of their work.
| Mid semester | 20% |
Essay - written reflection on experiential activity. In this assessment, students reflect on their simulation-based experience of teaching and/or learning from the study day. They are expected to integrate educational theory in support of their experience and to identify best practice.
| Mid semester | 20% |
Essay. In this assessment, students have a choice of essay topics exploring contemporary issues in SBE, future directions of SBE relevant for surgical education, the role of simulators in high stakes assessment, the relationship of simulator generated feedback and learning. Each topic draws on and extends knowledge from earlier subjects.
| End of semester | 60% |
| Hurdle requirement: Complete the core online modules (C1 and C2) of the NHET-Sim Program before attending the workshop. | N/A |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- January - Off Campus
Time commitment details
170 hours per 12.5 credit point subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
- Subject notes
IT requirements:
Participants will require access to the internet with a minimum connection speed of 256Kbps to access course materials and to participate in on-line discussions and presentations forums. Faster connection speeds are preferred. Participants will also need to verify that their internet connection is configured to allow them to view streamed audio and video files. Test files will be made available for students to test their connections.
Participants are expected to have a headset and microphone connected to their computer for participation in on-line activities.
Participants will be expected to have access to the following Microsoft Office products to fully participate:
- MS Word
- MS Powerpoint
All online applications will be web-based and no special software is required.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Surgical Education Course Graduate Diploma in Surgical Education - Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 3 November 2022