September 25, 2023

Local volunteers needed to help Shoalhaven medical students improve their skills

Simulated patient program vital to developing students’ communication and medical techniques

Wanted: volunteers to help the next generation of regional doctors hone their skills and perfect their bedside manner.

The Graduate School of Medicine, based at the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) Shoalhaven Campus, is seeking volunteers in the region to take part in the Simulated Patient Program.

The volunteers act as patients for the medical student, presenting with a variety of ailments that need medical attention. This enables the students to have ongoing interactions with real people, helping them to learn and practice the appropriate way to communicate with patients and be provided with immediate feedback.

Volunteers can be of all ages and genders, but must be relatively healthy, active, and have moderate computer literacy. It would suit those who are available during workdays and want to help provide unique and fulfilling medical opportunities for Graduate of School Medicine’s students.

Shawn Tyler, Coordinator of the Simulated Patient Program for the Graduate School of Medicine, said the Simulated Patients Program provided a great opportunity for members of the community to contribute to the education of medical students.

“Graduate School of Medicine at Shoalhaven is a vital part of creating the next generation of regional doctors. Our graduates give so much back to the community in which they train and study, and many of them go on to work as regional medical practitioners,” Mr Tyler said.

“The interaction between real people and our medical students is so important to the students’ training and learning opportunities, as well as the enhancement of health care for patients in regional, rural and remote communities.”

The program would suit those who are available during workdays and want to help provide unique and fulfilling medical opportunities for the Graduate School of Medicine’s students.

Current UOW students are also encouraged to get involved, with the option of gaining UOWx credit for their time.

Volunteers take part in scripted role play and/or physical examinations with medical students. Training is provided for volunteers through face-to-face sessions and online modules, which encompasses an introduction to the Graduate School of Medicine, simulated patient activities, feedback instruction and practice.

Many of the students who completed their studies at Shoalhaven’s Graduate School of Medicine are now specialists at Shoalhaven Hospital, with their field of expertise including gastroenterology, paediatrics, anaesthetics, and geriatrics.

This rural focus is at the heart of UOW’s Graduate School of Medicine program, which embeds medical professionals in regional and remote communities, including the Shoalhaven and South Coast, with the aim of creating the next generation of regional doctors.

The Graduate School of Medicine launched at UOW Shoalhaven in 2007 and is based at the West Nowra campus.

For further information, contact simulated-patients-shoalhaven@uow.edu.au or Debbie Lawrence, Clinical Skills Support Officer at Graduate School of Medicine, on +61 2 4221 1501.