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UOH Medicine students learn to suture in online workshop

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of O’Higgins School of Medicine (UOH) has focused on transferring much of its academic content, eminently practical, to an online platform that allows maintaining the high standard of education imposed by the house of studies. In this area, one of the great challenges was to implement the once face-to-face videoconference workshops. This was the case of the suturing workshop, which was successfully taught to fourth-year students in the subject of Surgery.

The Head of the UOH Medicine Course, doctor Mario Torres, acknowledged that “the complexity of the pandemic affects us on multiple levels. But specifically, from the point of view of teaching, it has forced us to rethink our methodologies. Fortunately we have a good team of teachers and professionals with whom we have taken the challenge forward ”.

The suture workshop is part of the Surgery course, which is taught in the fourth year of the degree, and is always one of the high points of the semester. This was stated by Paz Cárdenas, a student who recognized that “it was something that I at least looked forward to with great anxiety. I was surprised at how well it turned out despite the conditions we faced. “

The surgeon and professor at UOH, Edward Cabrera, was in charge of giving the workshop. “From the beginning of the semester we had planned several theoretical-practical workshops to develop soft skills in students,” he recalled. “During the first semester we had to resort to online and the decision was made to continue with these courses, one of the biggest challenges being to adapt the suture workshop”, explained the doctor.

The dynamics was divided into three axes. First, provide orientation and study material for the students. As a second phase, buy a surgery kit that was sent to the participants at their homes, which included an eva rubber to simulate the skin. Finally, everything closes with the development of the workshop through a zoom class.

“When the time came, we made the most of it. Regardless of the fact that it was through the camera, we were able to understand with what elements the suture is carried out and at the key moments of the procedure ”, explained Paz, highlighting the empathy and concern of the teacher in charge.

“The students told me that the workshop increased their experience this semester online. Of course we would like to have taught it in person, to be closer to evaluate the details, but in general the concepts were transmitted well and the entire protocol was respected ”, said Edward Cabrera.

The head of the UOH Medicine Course highlighted the “realism” achieved in the workshop, highlighting that “we have achieved the learning objectives of the course, which is what is really important”.

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