Imagination is about breaking new ground. Without imagination, medical practice will lose its edge. It's high time to train our medical students up for expecting the unexpected. How?
Digital simulation is all the rage these days. So let's tap into it. We'll create scenarios challenging our medical students to step out of their comfort zones.
Say, New York City is suddenly swallowed up by a blackout which somehow goes on much longer than expected. Backup power is running out. Flashlights and candles are all we have in the dead of night. How to make do with replacement tools that require no electricity? How to go about triage when the emergency room (ER) is overwhelmed with mass hysteria? Nothing is or should be taken for granted. Meanwhile, nothing is or should be ruled out as a potential life-saving device.
It never hurts to let our medical students have a head start with outside-the-box simulation training. Indeed, if they could also be trained like U.S. Navy corpsmen during their summer breaks, so much the better.
Author: Ren Qiulan
