19 September 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Students at the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine gained experience through simulations held Monday.
Patients were played by actors and diagnosed by students.
“We are going into the room, not really sure what they’re here for, just like it would be in a real clinical setting,” said Kiley Gagain, a second-year medical student. “And we go in, and we do our exam … to kind of help us figure out what the diagnosis would be.”
Afterward, students would take notes and put everything in order before being examined by physicians, according to Gagain.
“We’re really learning, and getting feedback is really important,” said Gagain. “So when we are on our own as physicians, we already kind of have that smoothed out.”
She says it is important to do exercises like this.
“The more you practice, the better you’ll do in a real-life setting. It’s sort of like if you’re exercising or anything like that,” said Gagain.
One actor has been playing the part of a patient for a year now. He said he is happy to help train and develop future doctors.