ROANOKE, Va. – On Friday, soon-to-be doctors, nurses and other medical professionals got a taste of what to expect once they graduate and enter the world of emergency medicine.
Students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM) and Radford University Carilion (RUC) participated in an “Interprofessionalism Day” simulation.
They treated “patients” (actors pretending to need medical attention) and learned how to communicate and work with their peers.
“It sticks with you quite a bit more than just reading it in a textbook or getting it in a lecture,” said Carilion Clinic Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Paul Stromberg.
He said just like team sports, future medical professionals need to practice as they play.
“Oftentimes, throughout your career, you’ll be thrown into a situation where you’re meeting a patient and a medical team for the first time while you’re in a life-threatening situation. And how do you quickly form bonds and work cohesively as a team?” said Stromberg, who is also an assistant professor at VTCSOM. “And those are skills that need to be developed.”
Physician assistant students said the experience was eye-opening
“We have social workers here to use and we have nursing students who played this role. So I think it was really good to just kind of identify roles and responsibilities of the health care team,” said Ali Wickman, a physician assistant student at RUC.
“It’s a team effort so this really helps you not think of only yourself and what you need to do, but what everyone needs to do for the patient,” said another RUC physician assistant student Mackenzie Cowne.