title: Development and implementation of an introductory endovascular training course for medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Endovascular simulation has been promoted as an educational tool for trainees to practice procedures in a safe environment and improve basic technical skills. We sought to determine whether an established endovascular training course for medical students could increase technical proficiency, enhance interest in vascular surgery, and be implemented at another academic institution.
  
  
  METHODS
  At Center A, medical students participated in an eight-week elective course with a structured curriculum comprised of weekly mentored simulator sessions and didactic teachings. A similar course was developed at Center B to train a similar cohort of students using the same high-fidelity simulator. Demographics and survey data, including interest in vascular surgery, were obtained, and pre- and postcourse graded simulator sessions on renal stent or iliac/superficial femoral artery stent modules were conducted. Performance was assessed by expert observers using a standardized global endovascular rating scale and objective procedural metrics collected from the simulator.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-seven medical students (41 at Center A and 36 at Center B; 56 men and 21 women) completed the course from 2007 to 2009. Parameters measured on the standardized global endovascular rating scale, including angiography skills, wire handling, and interventional criteria as well as simulator-generated metrics, significantly improved from pre- to postcourse values for both groups of medical students at the two institutions (p < 0.05). More than 94% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the simulation course increased their interest in vascular surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simulation-based endovascular course provides an educational tool that improves basic technical performance and increases interest in vascular surgery among medical students. This simple educational module appears to be transferable and adaptable at another institution with minimal modification to produce similar results.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Ritu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparajita
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zayed
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dayal
authors.forename: Jason T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D009048:Motor Skills; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014481:United States