Emergency medicine residents participate in simulation grand rounds Published May 21, 2010 By Senior Airman Nicole Mickle 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Members of the 59th Emergency Medicine Squadron participated in a simulation grand rounds incorporating the use of high-fidelity medical simulation in the Wilford Hall simulation center May 21. The simulation grand rounds is held every few months and used to augment and improve resident education. The three-hour block is dedicated to covering medical and surgical cases are not frequently seen by residents here. The first simulation grand rounds were held here last fall. "The feedback from last fall's session was overwhelmingly positive," said Maj. (Dr.) Adam Balls, 59th EMDS, Emergency Medicine staff physician, . "Our residents appreciated the addition of the simulation into the formal curriculum and have indicated a desire for more frequent use of this type of education throughout the academic year." Historically, grand rounds involves the presentation of a patient and their particular disease. It is usually presented in front of an audience of medical students, residents and attending physicians. Now, grand rounds are more of a lecture-based format covering the major topics of EM. San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium EM Residency Program grand rounds are held every Friday. Lectures are presented guest speakers, attending physicians from Brooke Army and Wilford Hall Medical Centers, and residents. "While the formal didactic EM grand rounds are held each week, we have dedicated a majority of two Fridays each month to a 'simulation grand rounds' in which-high fidelity simulation is used to augment and improve resident education," Dr. Balls said. Simulated cases are developed by the SAUSHEC EM attending physicians and, occasionally, cases developed by other national leaders in simulation, at other residency programs, are used. "The cases can be adapted and created to focus on the needs of a wide range of learners to include paramedics, nurses, medical students and physicians," Dr. Balls said . Simulated cases ran during this grand rounds included a burn patient, phosphorous poisoning, a pregnant woman giving birth and a code blue scenario with no recovery. "We work closely with the medical simulation branch at Wilford Hall, directed by Mr. John Metchel," Dr. Balls said. "They are vital to the success of our simulation curriculum. They spend countless hours behind the scenes programming the cases into the computers, preparing needed equipment and operating the high-fidelity simulators during our sessions." The simulations provide staff physicians with information on how well resident training is going. Also, simulations prepare residents for their annual in-service examinations and, ultimately, help to prepare them to become board-certified EM physicians. "The use of simulation provides a novel way to teach and train our residents," Dr. Balls said. "It takes them out of the classroom setting and places them into a high-fidelity simulation environment."