Integrating High-Fidelity Simulation into a Medical Cardiovascular Physiology Curriculum

The challenges of transitioning from basic sciences to clerkships are well identified in medical education. High-fidelity simulations, which have established a track record of improving clinical reasoning and clinical skills, have been proposed as a viable approach to bridge the gap between basic sciences and clerkships. However, little is known about the results of using simulation to address the gap. Methods In 2018, Morehouse School of Medicine enhanced the first-year cardiovascular physiology curriculum by integrating the high-fidelity simulation iStan into the cardiovascular physiology curriculum, with the purpose of early clinical exposure, cardiovascular concept mastery, and increased clinical associations. The integration included three structural design elements: (a) simulated clinical case introduction; (b) simulated clinical case development; and (c) student-led clinical case study. Results The first-year medical (MD1) students’ cardiovascular physiology learning outcomes have significantly improved compared to the last two cohorts of MD1 students, and the students’ test-taking time was significantly reduced compared to the performance of the last two counterpart cohorts. Students reported increased engagement in the simulation-enhanced cardiovascular physiology curriculum. Conclusion The findings provide preliminary evidence to suggest that the structural integration of high-fidelity simulation in the cardiovascular physiology curriculum proved successful in terms of students’ learning experience and learning outcomes. The three central elements of high-fidelity simulation integration can inform future endeavor as a structural solution to effectively bridge the gaps between basic science concepts and clinical reasoning by using high-fidelity simulations.