The new Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation (MSMS) degree program, through Drexel University College of Medicine's Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies, is accepting applications. MSMS provides students with a core, detailed focus on the many facets of simulation-based medical education while simultaneously providing them with multiple career options to pursue upon graduation.

What Is Medical and Health Care Simulation?

Medical and health care simulation is the imitation or practice of clinical situations in an artificially created environment. It is most often used to teach students in the areas of clinical and diagnostic skills, teamwork and interpersonal communication. Simulation allows the learner a chance to demonstrate and further develop skills that should be refined prior to actual patient care.

"Following Drexel's historical core mission of experiential learning methodology, the use of simulation education to teach the essentials of patient care is rapidly expanding in many of our health care training realms," said Sharon Griswold-Theodorson, MD, MPH, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and the program's director. "Medical and health care simulation has been proven as a powerful learning modality for education. Literature has begun to demonstrate improvements in patient care when learners have experienced simulation as part of their training."

In Place of Real Patients

The practice of clinical, technical or procedural skills typically involves the use of mannequin, task trainer or standardized patients to allow learners to practice skills as though they were interacting with a real patient. They learn to better communicate and manage the consequences of their decisions in a safe learning environment without risk to patients. After a patient scenario, the learners are debriefed by a simulation educator who works to help them understand methods for improvement of managing the communication, teamwork and patient care aspects of the case.

Can I Do This As a Working Professional?

The MSMS program was designed with working professionals in mind. All of the courses will be team taught by various health care professionals to ensure a multidisciplinary focus. The coursework will be completed primarily online with three one-week intensive on-campus practicums. The curriculum will be delivered in a blended format that will allow the learners to actively engage with the program faculty and other students within the program. The MSMS program can be completed over two years at a part-time schedule, so that students can incorporate newly gained skills into their current employment.

Program Objective: Enduring Careers

The objective of this program is to provide the scientific and educational foundation to prepare graduate-level students who have prior training and/or experience in health care for a transition into an enduring educational and research career in simulation. Professionals who might benefit from this program are:

• Residents
• Clinical fellows
• Physician assistants
• Nurses
• Nurse practitioners
• Attending physicians
• Individuals already employed in the health sciences industry

Interested? Contact Us

If the MSMS program interests you, please contact us through our program website. You can also email us at MSsim@drexelmed.edu and follow us on Twitter @mssimdrexel.