The Need and Art of Establishing Skill and Simulation Centers to Strengthen Skill-Based Medical Education

Abstract

Background: Evidence-based medicine seeks to improve medical education, which requires high competency levels in various clinical skills such as examination of patients and execution of clinical techniques on patients by integrating skill and simulation-based teaching and learning as supplementary to traditional methods of bedside clinical teaching. Hence, a safely prepared and controlled environment with trained interdisciplinary teams is very essential in providing such effective medical education to students as well as health-care professionals. The ongoing skill and simulation center project aims to provide teaching, training, and learning in various clinical procedures for both medical students and clinicians. Materials and Methods: The project management cycle framework was used which included the phases of planning, designing, training, and implementation. Having picked the model for the proposed skill and simulation center, that is, redefining medical education with skill and simulation-based teaching, training, and learning, it was decided to establish this skill and simulation center. Results: The functional skill and simulation center unit with the state-of-the-art infrastructure along with a trained multidisciplinary team was achieved. There are also academic programs, which include the demonstration of various clinical and surgical skills and workshops on simulation-based medical education. Conclusion: It was possible to establish a comprehensive skill and simulation center and achieve best practices in medical education by optimal investment in infrastructure and improving the available human resources. Detailed planning is required, across a variety of domains. We hope our experiences shared in this article will help other medical colleges and hospitals across the region, both nationally and globally, toward establishing similar educational facilities.