Learning from Virtual High-Fidelity Simulation During the COVID-19 Era in the Pediatric Clerkship

Abstract

Objective: In-person high-fidelity simulation was converted to virtual sessions amid COVID-19 era in mid-March of 2020. The effectiveness of virtual high-fidelity simulation, and the impact on the students’ learning, secondary to differences between in-person and virtual high-fidelity simulation was evaluated by questionnaire.
Methods: In-person high fidelity simulation was converted to virtual sessions using Zoom platform. At the end of each session, students were requested to complete a questionnaire via One45 software.
Results: Twenty-six students participated in a total of 7 virtual high-fidelity simulation sessions and twenty-three students completed the questionnaire. Most of the students felt no negative impact on their performance or learning with virtual simulation. However, the inability to physically examine the mannequin and the lack of in-person collaboration between the team members caused negative impact.
Conclusions: Virtual high-fidelity simulation is a compatible educational tool when compared with in-personsession. We shared our experience and what we have learned from running high-fidelity simulation on a virtual platform.