EDUCATION INSTITUTES
Texas A&M/Scott & White Surgical Skills Program J. Scott Thomas, MD, Jose F. Pliego, MD, Mohsen Shabahang, MD, Lisa Ward, RN, and Jaime Rodriguez, LVN Texas A&M/Scott and White Surgical Skills Program, Temple, Texas
FIGURE 1. Texas A&M/Scott & White Surgical Skills Program. A, Scott & White Hospital. B, Simulation center at Temple College.
The Texas A&M/Scott & White Surgical Skills Program is housed at 2 main facilities including the Simulation Center at Temple College and the smaller inanimate laboratory at the hospital (Fig. 1). Not only is the Temple College location is spacious, but also it has an adjoining Standardized Patient Pavilion. The facility at Scott and White is next to the resident library (Fig. 2). It is smaller but is always available. The reCorrespondence: Inquiries to J. Scott Thomas, MD, Texas A&M/Scott and White Surgical Skills Program, 2401 S. 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508; e-mail: JSTHOMAS@ swmaiLsw.org
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sources of the Program include the personnel, equipment, and a robust curriculum. A limited amount of continuing medical education (CME) activity directed toward practicing physicians has also been done. The Institute’s goal is to improve the training of the residents and medical students through the use of simulation. In doing so, the practice of medicine should become safer. The strengths of our Institute are many. In the first place, the hospital and the Temple College Simulation Center are only a mile apart. The curriculum has been developed carefully. All
Journal of Surgical Education • © 2011 Association of Program Directors in Surgery Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1931-7204/$30.00 doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2010.05.029
FIGURE 2. The skills laboratory at Scott & White next to the resident library.
TABLE 1. Inanimate Curriculum Activity Cadaver laboratory (different surgery modules) Stapling laboratory (the use of various staplers) Central line simulator Trauma simulation Standardized patient Laparoscopy laboratory (loosely based on FLS curriculum) Ultrasound Vascular anastomoses Open knot tying Fundamentals of surgery
PGY Level
Frequency/Year
Evaluation
1–5 1 2 1 1 2–3 2–4 1–2 3 2 2 1 1
2 2 1 1 2 1 1 2
Checklist, evaluation form Checklist, FLS certificate
1 1 1 1
Checklist, certification Checklist Checklist Checklist
Checklist Checklist Checklist Checklist
FLS, fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery. Journal of Surgical Education • Volume 68/Number 1 • January/February 2011
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FIGURE 3. Video pictures from mass trauma scenario.
activities are based on the objectives and instructional methods in the curriculum. Every activity is geared toward a different level of learner. We have a strong faculty with great deal of interest in training the residents and students. The amount of space available is clearly sufficient. Our Institute has high-fidelity equipment that allows for sophisticated cognitive and procedural teaching. The Texas A&M/Scott & White Surgical Skills Program is devoted mainly to the training of surgical and obstetrics/ gynecology residents. The students on both of these clerkships also use the resources. In addition, we would like to establish ourselves as a center in Central Texas where practicing surgeons can learn new techniques. We have engaged in CME activities. However, our desire is to expand those efforts without taking anything away from the training of our residents and students. A description of our courses and how often they are offered are listed in Table 1. One of our unique teaching methods is our mass-casualty trauma exercise that is done twice a year (Fig. 3). The purpose of this is to create a multitrauma environment with 92
multiple physician and allied health care members present to test our emergency response system and triage as well as assess for communication, professionalism, and medical knowledge. The Institute is led by Dr. Jose Pliego. He has been active in simulation for the past 6 years. The director of the surgical program is Dr. Mo Shabahang, who also serves as the program director for the general surgery program. The clerkship directors for obstetrics/gynecology and surgery, Drs. McLaughlin and Thomas, will be working alongside Drs. Pliego and Shabahang. The administrator is Dr. Hania Wehbe-Janek, who has been active in simulation and simulation research. The coordinators are Lisa Ward and Jaime Rodriguez, who both are clinical nurses. They work with Neil Coker, the coordinator at Temple College, to ensure the curriculum is followed. In addition to this core group of individuals, the department chairs of surgery and obstetrics/gynecology (Drs. Smythe and Shull), the administrative assistant for the surgical residency (Linda Billingsley), and Graduate Medical Education educator (Sandra Oliver) all play a role in the development, coordination, and the execution of educational programs.
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CONTACT INFORMATION Scott & White, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508 Jose Pliego, Medical Director for Clinical Simulation; (254) 724-8803;
[email protected] Mohsen Shabahang, MD, Director of Surgical Program, Program Director for the General Surgery Program; (254) 7242366;
[email protected]
Hania Wehbe-Janek, PhD, Director, Clinical Simulation and Standardized Patients; (254) 724-4639; jwehbejanek@swmail. sw.org Lisa Ward, RN, BSN, Coordinator; (254) 724-8803; lward@ swmail.sw.org Jaime Rodriguez, Coordinator; (254) 724-4639; jlrodriguez@ swmail.sw.org
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