Course Syllabus

 * The current lecture topics are subject to change. An announcement will be sent out when the final plan is in place (at the latest the day before the first day of class).

Medical Simulation Lab

Course Description

In this hands-on lab course, you will learn about specific diseases and follow the diagnosis and treatment pathway of a patient. The focus will be on surgery, taking into account preoperative, operative, and postoperative procedures. You will learn about relevant anatomy and physiology by using virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) alongside traditional approaches. Learn about the ever-growing field of medical imaging and how methods such as X-Ray, CT, MR, and ultrasound are becoming an increasing part of medical diagnostics and treatment. You will gain a clear idea of how a surgeon has to prepare and train, by training and performing certain interventions and surgical procedures through the use of medical simulators, VR, or other.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• Identify and locate organs and anatomically relevant tissues relating to a specific disease and/or surgery
• Compare and contrast diagnostic options, and discuss when surgery is the treatment option
• Name the different surgical equipment and identify when each should be used
• Demonstrate how different surgical equipment should be held and used
• Perform some of the most common pre-op procedures
• Execute different types of surgery procedures, using a simulation approach
• Describe possible operative and post-op complications, and prioritize the follow up action according to severity and possible outcomes
• Show different suturing techniques and justify when to use each

Faculty

Paulina Mendoza M.D. (La Salle University, Mexico City, 2019). M. Sc. Nutrition Science (Karolinska Universitet, 2021). Previous employment at the Military Central Hospital in Mexico City (2019-2020). With DIS since 2021.

Readings

Chapters from Hole’s JW: Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology, 13th WC Brown Publishers, London 2004

Chapters from Sala, E., Freeman, A.H., Lomas, D.J. and Ringl, H., Radiology for Surgeons in Clinical Practice, Springer, 2008, PDF ebook (ISBN 978-1-84800-096-4)

Additional readings regarding specific important information and instructions relating to specific procedures will be posted on canvas.

Approach to teaching

The course will focus on using a hands-on approach to learning. Students will be given all necessary information, through a surgeon’s eye, regarding all aspects surrounding specific surgical procedures. Assignments and tests will assess relevant theoretical and practical knowledge.

Expectations of the students

Students are expected to actively participate in all activities related to the course. Additionally, students should come duly prepared for each class. Students should be willing to follow a surgeon’s approach to preparation for surgery, which includes a lot of training and executing the same type of procedure repeatedly in order to optimize performance.

Lab simulation work

The course will have at least 3/4 practical hands on work. This will include performing and training pre-op, operative, and post-op procedures, as well as surgical simulation. 

Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class all of the assigned work must be completed.

The factors influencing the final grade and their weights are reported in the following table:

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

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