Patient Simulator

Last Thursday I had a patient simulator to do a physical exam on.  The whole experience was strangely realistic and I left thinking more good things than bad.

Our patient was a 41 year old lady who complained of chronic neck pain.  The other student intern interviewed her and we both wrote the pertinent information down on our history form.  We transitioned to the physical exam smoothly by having her put on a gown and some jogging shorts.  The other student started with the first section of the exam which consisted of taking her vitals (blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate and temperature), height and weight and several seated exams.  The physical exam is separated into sections based on patient positioning.  One section is seated with doctor in front, another is seated with doctor behind and others are supine, prone, side posture and seated straddling the exam table.  This helps keep you on track with the flow of the exam and prevents missing any tests.  Having a flow like this also prevents you from having the patient move from lying on their back to their belly several times.  Memorizing an exam such as this takes many days and can leave you wanting to pull your hair out.

We ended the exam and received good feedback from our patient.  She was a professional simulator but had a knack for knowing what a patient wants in their doctor.  Her impression of us was that we were trusting and competent.  In the midst of it all, you notice all the tiny details that go wrong, what you didn't say that you should have said and how your skills were still in their growing stages.  But in actuality, your patient sees a confident, competent person who they trust.  I left feeling good with my growth up to this point and gained insight into the small things that still need work.

Apparently, we are going to have around 20 simulator interactions by the time we graduate.  Each time we will gain more insight into our development and the next experience will be even better.

All for now