INTERSIM CENTRE COMPLETES FIRST EVER TEACHING PROGRAMME
23 February 2021
Despite the challenging environment onset by COVID-19, the KN Cheung SK Chin InterSim Centre has continued its important work in preparing medical students for their field.
At the beginning of February, the Centre completed its first ever teaching programme in InterSim for 235 final-year medical students. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many final year medical students were not able to complete their clinical course requirements in 2020. In response, the InterSim Centre was able to host these students in the Centre throughout January to give them an opportunity to gain these clinical skills, through self-directed sessions booked independently by students. Over 2,000 individual skills were developed and enhanced with help from this new facility.
The InterSim team at Queen’s has worked hard to ensure that training was safe and accessible during the pandemic, ensuring students had safe access to the Centre, in person, enabling them to gain and practice a wide range of skills in a hospital environment.
The aim of the Centre is to promote excellence in education within the healthcare professionals through an inter-professional simulation-based approach that drives safe, effective and collaborative care now and in the future. The COVID-19 pandemic has enforced the importance of simulated training.
Students gave the new teaching programme an average five-star rating:
“The learning environment was relaxed, informal yet organised and focused on the task at hand. The staff were there to make sure we had everything we needed, that we were safe and that we were getting the most out of the day!”
“This was a great experience! Very well laid out, felt very safe and the staff were very helpful! Booking experience was easy and clear. Access to equipment was great!”
“Booking was no problem at all! So grateful to have this session - coming up to finals for future it would be grateful to have longer access to the facilities or even access to a bed to practice examinations.”
“Fantastic! Booking was easy and the whole experience felt very well organised and safe. The new CSEC looks fantastic. The mannequins and station layout were very appropriate and the kind of things that I wanted to practice before OSCES! Thank you - really appreciate the effort that went in to organising this!”
“Very valuable experience to compensate for opportunities lost on placement.”
Aiming to open InterSim after Easter, Professor Gerry Gormley said: “Despite all of the challenges thrown our way, it has been hugely rewarding to see the positive experience provided to our final year medical students. Huge thanks to everyone in helping us get to this point. What we experienced over the last three weeks with our final year students has spurred us on for the future.”
At Queen’s we are continuing to advance medical training and research throughout the current situation and provide the best education possible to all students. The InterSim Centre will provide world-class facilities to further enhance our medical, nursing, pharmacy and dental students’ preparedness for clinical practice. The Centre will allow students to enhance their clinical skills, in a safe environment, before transferring them into clinical practice. Over £2m was raised for the venture; and the Centre takes its name in celebration of the parents of the lead donor and Queen’s medical graduate.
Find out more about the InterSim Centre and its work here.
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