2024 Scholars' Research Symposium Abstract: Assessing and Monitoring Competency of Medical Students as Simulation Educators Using Novel Rubric.

Introduction: Physicians are life-long learners and life-long educators. Through their entire careers, they educate patients, residents, medical students, and other health care professionals. There is currently no requirement for medical schools in the United States to provide courses in teaching or communication. Healthcare academia has recognized this need, which resulted in development of peer-assisted teaching and learning programs. USD SSOM has created a Medical Students as Simulation Educators (MSASE) program that teaches medical students the foundational concepts of adult education and how to effectively use them in simulation-based teaching. USD SSOM has demonstrated that learners' outcomes were similar whether they were taught by clinical faculty or by senior medical students. USD SSOM developed a novel Simulation Teaching Academic Competency Evaluation Rubric (STACER). STACER is a complex, multi-domain instrument that assesses multiple aspects of teaching. It allows for granular assessment and tracking of student-instructors' progress as educators.

Methods: MSASE enrolls 12-18 medical students per year. These students complete asynchronous modules that cover history of healthcare simulation, educational theories, simulation modalities, feedback and debriefing, assessment, and high-fidelity simulation (HFS). After completing the didactic portion, MSASE students participate in teaching junior medical students under the supervision of clinical faculty. During teaching, MSASE students are evaluated with the use of STACER. STACER consists of three written assessments: (1) learner evaluation of student-educators, (2) student-educator's self-assessment, and (3) clinical faculty evaluation of student-educators.

Results: There was a statistically significant correlation between the student learners' engagement during debriefing, as opposed to during the activity itself, and the perceived value of the activity. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the student learners' perceived judgment during the activity and their perceived value of the activity (p = 0.0013), with less judgement correlating to a higher perceived value. While learners and educators shared a positive perspective on the close relationship between pathophysiology and pharmacology, faculty expressed a more critical viewpoint. One notable discrepancy emerged regarding the three cohort's agreement with the statement, "theoretical concepts were linked to clinically relevant examples."

Conclusions: STACER is an effective instrument to measure medical students' teaching competencies over time. This data supports the position held by most simulation scholars, emphasizing the importance of engaging debriefing as an integral part of simulation-based learning. Fostering a nonjudgmental learning environment can contribute to a more valuable learning experience. Lastly, this project revealed High Fidelity Simulation as an opportunity for student-educators to both teach and learn.