The Universiry of Washington - Simulation in Medical Training to Expand
June 19, 2006
by Akane Naka, Project Manager
Simulation training in health care education, which is enhanced by "significant advances in computer technology," is changing the teaching of medicine, according to a commentary piece by Dr. Mika Sinanan, a professor of surgery and adjunct professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington.
Simulation in medical education is "certain to expand," Sinanan writes, adding that he expects the "human and economic cost of errors" and medical training expenses to drive this process. According to Sinanan, in the future it is expected that physicians will have to complete "hands-on assessment of skills" to remain certified by regulatory and credentialing organizations.
The University of Washington - UW Medicine has developed the Institute for Surgical and Interventional Stimulation, or ISIS, which provides training tools such as desktop suturing models and computerized patient mannequins, according to Sinanan. The simulators allow students to "try out new procedures or instruments and hone their skills," Sinanan writes. Also, surgical teams can practice full procedures in the virtual operation room, which features surgical simulators with computer graphic representations of internal organs.
To read more about the simulation:
University of Washington ISIS - part1
University of Washington ISIS - part2
UW School of Medicine ranks No. 1 among primary-care medical schools for 13th straight year
In Darrington, Wash., UW medical school graduate and preceptor Dr. Gary Schillhammer makes a house call.
The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine again has ranked first among primary-care medical schools in the country, according to annual rankings of graduate and professional schools provided today by U.S. News & World Report. For the 15th consecutive year, its teaching programs in family medicine and in rural health also ranked No. 1. It ranked fourth in teaching medical students about AIDS, sixth in teaching women's health, sixth in internal medicine, seventh in geriatrics (health care for the elderly), and 10th in pediatrics.
The UW medical school tied with Stanford University at seventh among research schools. The UW was the only medical school in the top seven in both scientific research and primary-care teaching. The UW medical ranked first among public medical schools and second among all medical schools in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year 2005. Only Harvard Medical School had more NIH funding. By U.S. News calculations, last year the NIH awarded UW School of Medicine faculty $538.8 million in grants.
The UW School of Medicine serves as a medical school for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho through the WWAMI program, an acronym for the participating states. The school has teaching sites for medical students in more than 100 towns and cities across the five-state region. Five state universities, and more than 4,500 volunteer physicians and other clinicians in the region, join in educating and training UW medical students.
"The work of these clinicians in training medical students to care for a variety of patient conditions in a community setting is a key reason for the UW School of Medicine's outstanding reputation in teaching primary-care, family medicine, rural health, and other generalist fields," said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the UW.
Like other medical schools across the nation, the UW School of Medicine is facing the challenge of declining student interest in primary care. The decline has been partially attributed to the regulatory burdens primary-care physicians face in their practices. According to a UW study published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the growing shortage of primary-care physicians is further diminishing the nation's ability to care for the poor and uninsured or for people living in rural areas. About 35 percent of the people in the WWAMI region reside in rural areas. The UW School of Medicine is looking at a number of new approaches to encourage more medical students to enter primary-care training
"Educating primary-care physicians is a key part of our mission, and we are developing new ways to increase our effectiveness in this area," said Dr. Thomas E. Norris, vice dean for academic affairs at the UW School of Medicine, who heads the school's programs for medical students.
Simulation in medical education is "certain to expand," Sinanan writes, adding that he expects the "human and economic cost of errors" and medical training expenses to drive this process. According to Sinanan, in the future it is expected that physicians will have to complete "hands-on assessment of skills" to remain certified by regulatory and credentialing organizations.
The University of Washington - UW Medicine has developed the Institute for Surgical and Interventional Stimulation, or ISIS, which provides training tools such as desktop suturing models and computerized patient mannequins, according to Sinanan. The simulators allow students to "try out new procedures or instruments and hone their skills," Sinanan writes. Also, surgical teams can practice full procedures in the virtual operation room, which features surgical simulators with computer graphic representations of internal organs.
To read more about the simulation:
University of Washington ISIS - part1
University of Washington ISIS - part2
UW School of Medicine ranks No. 1 among primary-care medical schools for 13th straight year
In Darrington, Wash., UW medical school graduate and preceptor Dr. Gary Schillhammer makes a house call.
The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine again has ranked first among primary-care medical schools in the country, according to annual rankings of graduate and professional schools provided today by U.S. News & World Report. For the 15th consecutive year, its teaching programs in family medicine and in rural health also ranked No. 1. It ranked fourth in teaching medical students about AIDS, sixth in teaching women's health, sixth in internal medicine, seventh in geriatrics (health care for the elderly), and 10th in pediatrics.
The UW medical school tied with Stanford University at seventh among research schools. The UW was the only medical school in the top seven in both scientific research and primary-care teaching. The UW medical ranked first among public medical schools and second among all medical schools in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year 2005. Only Harvard Medical School had more NIH funding. By U.S. News calculations, last year the NIH awarded UW School of Medicine faculty $538.8 million in grants.
The UW School of Medicine serves as a medical school for the states of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho through the WWAMI program, an acronym for the participating states. The school has teaching sites for medical students in more than 100 towns and cities across the five-state region. Five state universities, and more than 4,500 volunteer physicians and other clinicians in the region, join in educating and training UW medical students.
"The work of these clinicians in training medical students to care for a variety of patient conditions in a community setting is a key reason for the UW School of Medicine's outstanding reputation in teaching primary-care, family medicine, rural health, and other generalist fields," said Dr. Paul G. Ramsey, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the UW.
Like other medical schools across the nation, the UW School of Medicine is facing the challenge of declining student interest in primary care. The decline has been partially attributed to the regulatory burdens primary-care physicians face in their practices. According to a UW study published earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the growing shortage of primary-care physicians is further diminishing the nation's ability to care for the poor and uninsured or for people living in rural areas. About 35 percent of the people in the WWAMI region reside in rural areas. The UW School of Medicine is looking at a number of new approaches to encourage more medical students to enter primary-care training
"Educating primary-care physicians is a key part of our mission, and we are developing new ways to increase our effectiveness in this area," said Dr. Thomas E. Norris, vice dean for academic affairs at the UW School of Medicine, who heads the school's programs for medical students.