Development and Implementation of Video-Recorded Simulation Scenarios to Facilitate Case-Based Learning Discussions for Medical Students' Virtual Anesthesiology Clerkship.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges to medical student education. Medical student activities involving direct patient contact were limited, challenging anesthesiology programs to develop innovative means of presenting a clinical experience to trainees. In response, the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School quickly transitioned its introductory anesthesiology clerkship to be entirely virtual. We designed the resulting curriculum to provide medical students with the most experiential learning experience possible. Methods: We created and conducted a virtual curriculum for medical students that incorporated video-recorded simulation-based scenarios to facilitate case-based learning discussions (CBLDs). At the end of their 2-week rotation, students completed a postclerkship survey with Likert-scale questions and an open-ended question intended to elicit feedback and evaluate the efficacy of the virtual curriculum. Results: Twenty-eight medical students finished the 2-week virtual anesthesiology clerkship over eight blocks, with all 28 students completing the postclerkship survey. Survey responses demonstrated that the virtual clerkship met or exceeded expectations in all areas. A majority of students (74%, 14 of the 19 who answered the associated question) felt that the faculty-led CBLD exercises were informative. All 28 students agreed or strongly agreed that the virtual assignments were valuable and facilitated learning. Discussion: We successfully implemented a virtual anesthesiology clerkship curriculum in response to constraints presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The virtual format provides trainees with a simulated clinical experience that can be utilized not only during future pandemics but also in modern training curricula.

Development and Use of an Induction of General Endotracheal Anesthesia Checklist Assessment for Medical Students in a Clinical Setting During Their Introductory Anesthesiology Clerkship.

Background: The American Association of Medical Colleges deemed performing lifesaving procedures, such as airway management, a necessary medical student competency for transitioning to residency. Anesthesiology clerkships provide the unique opportunity for medical students to practice these procedures in a safe and controlled environment. We aimed to develop a checklist that assesses medical students' ability to perform the main steps of a general anesthesia induction with endotracheal intubation in the clinical setting. Methods: We created a Checklist containing items aligned with our clerkship objectives. We modified it after receiving feedback and trialing it in the clinical setting. Medical students were evaluated with the Checklist using a pre- and post-clerkship study design: (1) in a simulation setting at the beginning of the clerkship; and (2) in the operating room at the end of the clerkship. Using paired t-tests, we calculated pre- and post-clerkship Checklist scores to determine curriculum efficacy. A P value of <.05 was determined to be statistically significant. We examined rater agreement between overall scores with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: Thirty medical students participated in the study. The ICC for agreement was 0.875 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.704-0.944). The ICC for consistency was 0.897 (95% CI, 0.795-0.950). There was a statistically significant improvement in the score from baseline to final evaluation of 3.6 points (95% CI, 2.5-5.2; P = .001). Conclusions: The statistically significant change in Checklist scores suggests that our medical students gained knowledge and experience during the introductory clerkship inducing general anesthesia and were able to demonstrate their knowledge in a clinical environment.

Anomalous Aortic Origin of the Right Pulmonary Artery From the Ascending Aorta With Spontaneous Dissection and Thrombosis.

Anomalous aortic origin of the pulmonary artery is rare. It can affect either of the main branches and can be an important cause of neonatal respiratory distress. Early diagnosis and surgical repair is associated with improved survival and long-term outcomes.