Simulation and stress: acceptable to students and not confidence-busting

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Clinical Simulation
• Healthcare Professional Training

Background:

• Newly qualified doctors often experience unpreparedness for clinical practice, particularly in performing under stress.
• Traditional simulation training emphasizes controlled environments, potentially limiting its effectiveness in preparing trainees for real-world high-pressure situations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a high-realism, high-stress simulated scenario designed to better prepare final-year medical students for stressful clinical practice.
• To assess the impact of this stress-enhanced simulation on student confidence and learning.

Main Methods:

• Final-year medical students participated in simulation stations incorporating high realism and stress-inducing factors (e.g., no tutor prompts, real-time results, direct phone calls for senior help).
• Student knowledge and confidence were assessed via pre- and post-session questionnaires, alongside overall session ratings and free-text comments.
• Pre- and post-session scores were statistically compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test.

Main Results:

• Forty students completed the high-stress simulation, rating the overall session highly (mean score 9.6/10).
• No significant difference was found between pre- and post-session knowledge and confidence scores.
• Student feedback indicated that the enhanced realism and stress were beneficial.

Conclusions:

• The high-stress simulation successfully created the intended stressful environment.
• Despite concerns, incorporating significant stress did not negatively impact student confidence or learning, suggesting its utility in preparing doctors for practice.