Loyola's Advanced Procedure Education Classroom offered first ASSET course on August 17

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine's Advanced Procedure Education Classroom (APEC) offered its first Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma (ASSET) course on Saturday, August 17 at the Maywood campus.

The American College of Surgeons-certified course included Loyola physicians. Dr. Fred Luchette, MD, MSc, who chaired the committee that created the program, was the course director. He was joined by Drs. Thomas Esposito, MD, MPH, FAC and Timothy Plackett, DO, MAJ, MC, USA who were instructor candidates.

The ASSET course uses human cadavers to teach surgical exposure of anatomic structures that when injured may pose a threat to life or limb. "The student-to-faculty ratio is low in this and in most of our courses, which allows for extensive faculty guidance and interaction with students, thus providing ample opportunities for deliberate practice in a safe clinical learning environment," said Dr. P. Marco Fisichella, director of APEC, a state-of-the-art facility that serves the surgical-skills training needs of students, residents, fellows and practicing physicians. APEC is part of the Center for Simulation Education located in The Health Sciences Division of Loyola University Chicago. Donna Quinones, administration director, simulation education at Loyola, coordinated all phases of the organization of the ACS course.

Prior to taking the ASSET course, students receive a manual to provide an overview of surgical exposures in five key anatomic areas: neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and upper and lower extremities. The one-day cadaver-based course follows a modular, body region approach. Each section begins with a short case-based overview, followed by a hands-on exposure performed by students under the guidance of faculty. Course participants included: Anna Adamusiak, MD (PGY-4 King's College Hospital in London, UK); Michael Anstadt, MD (PGY-4 Loyola surgery resident); Todd Baker, MD (Loyola surgery resident); and Franklin Wright, MD (Loyola attending surgeon.)

"The student assesses his or her ability to perform each exposure independently and is evaluated on knowledge and technical skills," said Luchette. "The APEC center offers world-class amenities for skills improvement like this ACS-certified course and is really a vital asset to the medical community." Learning takes place in a safe, risk-free environment where individuals have the opportunity to repeat a skill and achieve mastery. A new cornea transplant technique called DMEK was recently introduced to Chicago physicians for the first time at APEC by Charles Bouchard, MD, chair of Loyola's Department of Ophthalmology.

Loyola's new education and performance assessment enterprise features the latest training facilities allowing medical and nursing students, residents, and health professionals to develop and demonstrate proficiency in clinical skills and collaborative practice.

Facilities in the Center include:

The Advanced Procedure Education Center (APEC). Bronchoscopic, endoscopic and urologic training simulators; laparoscopic training room; classrooms (wet and dry labs); and debriefing room with live feed connected to the operating room.
Selfridge Clinical Skills Center. Ambulatory care office suite for standardized patient encounters.

Stamm Task Training Room. Modular work space for task training in commonly used clinical procedures.

Walgreen Family Virtual Hospital. State-of-the-art mannequin hospital, with individualized control rooms and debriefing pods; home-health setting to simulate follow-up care.

Virtual OR. Mock operating room with accompanying anesthesia delivery system.

Cadaveric Education Lab. Dedicated lab for dissection and skills training using cadaveric or animal tissues.

SOURCE Loyola University Health System