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Simulation in Surgical Education (MEDS90015)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2024
Overview
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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: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Admission into one of the following:
- GC-SURGED Graduate Certificate in Surgical Education
- GD-SURGED Graduate Diploma in Surgical Education
- MC-SURGED Master of Surgical Education
AND
All of
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEDS90006 | Context of Surgical Education | Semester 1 (Early-Start) (Online) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90007 | Learning & Teaching in Surgical Practice | Semester 1 (Early-Start) (Online) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90008 | Educational Theory for Surgical Training | Semester 2 (Early-Start) (Online) |
12.5 |
| MEDS90009 | Curriculum Design in Surgical Education | Semester 2 (Early-Start) (Online) |
12.5 |
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.
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: 31 January 2024
Assessment
| 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: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
Not available in 2024
Time commitment details
170 hours per 12.5 credit point subject.
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Reading materials online
- 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 Graduate Diploma in Surgical Education Course Master of 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.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Last updated: 31 January 2024