Respiratory Auscultation Lab Using a Cardiopulmonary Auscultation Simulation Manikin

• Main Authors: Jennifer Kaminsky, Riccardo Bianchi, Shirley Eisner, Robin Ovitsh, Ana Maria Lopez, Leanna Smith, Nawar Talukder, Antonia Quinn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association of American Medical Colleges 2021-03-01
• Series: MedEdPORTAL
• Subjects: Respiratory Auscultation; Deliberate Practice; Hypothesis-Driven Physical Examination (HDPE); Simulation; High Fidelity; Lung Sounds
• Online Access: http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11107

Introduction Mastery of respiratory auscultation skills is fundamental for clinicians to develop. We created a case-based educational session utilizing a high-fidelity simulator to teach lung sound auscultation to medical students at our institution. We employed a hypothesis-driven approach and deliberate practice to enhance students' learning experience and retention of acquired skills. Methods We developed the session to teach second-year medical students how to discriminate between normal and pathological respiratory sounds within the context of clinical vignettes. Faculty facilitators, in conjunction with near-peer educators, made use of a high-fidelity auscultation manikin to guide students through case-based problem sets. Students were given the opportunity to auscultate the manikin while being observed and receiving feedback from the faculty. Results We introduced the manikin in 2016, with a total of 759 second-year medical students from four class years having participated in the session since then. Students evaluated the session through an end-of-the-week and end-of-unit survey. The survey showed an overall improvement in learner satisfaction over previous years. Survey results and feedback were used to make adjustments to the session. Discussion Our respiratory auscultation session was well received overall. Proper faculty development is crucial for implementing the session. Because of the focus on deliberate practice, adequate time must be allotted to hold the session. This program is reproducible with similar high-fidelity simulators.