LAUSR

Simulation has become the new way of preparing doctors to deal with medical emergencies, we investigate it using in managing ward-based surgical emergencies. Final year medical students completed pre- and post-session questionnaires related to themes of preparedness, anxiousness, and confidence in management of acute surgical presentations versus post-operative complications. The intervention was divided into classroom based teaching and common surgical scenarios enacted using Sim-Man. Preparedness increased by a third following participation in surgical simulation scenarios among participants. Anxiousness related to surgical finals decreased by 9%. Confidence in managing acute patients increased by 25% compared to pre-session results. Moreover, 35% of participants felt more confident in managing post-operative complications after the session. On average, participants scored 8/10 for usefulness of the sessions in highlighting areas to concentrate focus upon during revision. Simulation is slowly becoming a staple in undergraduate training and our results emphasise positive impact of using this as a revision tool. Kinaesthetic learning is more memorable during simulation which serves as a confidence boost in self-perception of managing both acute and post-operative surgical patients. Anxiety associated with exams and managing real-life emergencies can be dampened by rehearsing scenarios and following a structured approach as championed by medical simulation.