Playing patients to allow medical students to validate their studies. This is what around thirty seniors are doing.
An initiative that emerged following the reform of the second cycle of medical studies.
The Nice Faculty of Medicine then implemented a new modality with a clinical examination with a standardized objective (Ecos).
“Test student skills”
“Our goal is to test students’ skills in twenty short seven-minute stations during which they will have to deal with situations as real as possible with standardized patients.”presents Professor Jean Dellamonica, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Nice.
Several groups of volunteers were formed, “simulated patients who are not experts but everyday people”underlined Professor Nirvana Sadaghianloo who is part of the program team. “This is also the first time in France that we have used these Ecos to classify students, she adds. We no longer evaluate only on knowledge but also on skills and interpersonal skills.”
She also specifies that “all the students presented last May were accepted”.
A partnership between the City and the Faculty of Medicine
While around thirty seniors have already joined the adventure, other standardized patients are welcome. “We need them from all backgrounds and all ages, not just seniors.insisted Nirvana Sadaghianloo. We want to maintain our level of excellence.”
These words are supported by the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who speaks of the Faculty of Medicine of Nice as “a center of excellence” in the eyes of the rest of France.
The City has also just signed an agreement guaranteeing its partnership with the medical faculty for the contribution of seniors to medical student exams. As the number of students increases, the team of standardized patients would need to double to cope.
On the senior side, the results are rather positive. A volunteer from the very beginning, Didier Briand is happy to be able to “to transmit to young people and to be in contact with them” car “the elders can bring a lot to the younger ones”. At 74 years old, he fully intends to continue and encourages everyone to come. “I hire”he smiled.
At 82 years old, Émilie had “want to participate to be of service to students”. Satisfied with this experience, she encourages as many people as possible to participate, adding that “It really doesn’t take much time and it’s about ten times a year”.
For Brigitte, 74 years old, there is no question of stopping, she “restacks without problem, the question does not even arise”.
