Skill-Based Practice

Last Updated: 08-24-2020 9:15 a.m.

Skill-based practice requires hands-on, in-person training. There are inherent limitations to teaching/assessing these skills while simultaneously attempting to maintain a social distance of 6 feet between all individuals in the learning environment.

EVMS has, therefore, developed an overarching Mitigated Risk Model for the pre-clerkship phase of the MD program and for the skill-based components of the various School of Health Professions curricula at EVMS. The goal of this model is to minimize exposure and risk among students and faculty while also preserving important in-person, skill-based learning opportunities. This model ensures a consistent approach to mitigating risk and promoting safe learning among the different educational programs at EVMS.

The following activities fall under the Mitigated Risk Model:

• Simulation-based clinical skills training
• Ultrasound lab scanning sessions
• Anatomy dissection
• Sterile technique and suturing
• Basic Life Support (BLS) and related skills training
• Art therapy

Mitigated Risk Model components

• Regular handwashing before and after learning activity (learners and instructors)
• Appropriate use of protective gear during entire activity.
  • Eye protection face shields, goggles or protective glasses
  • Face masks
  • Gloves
• Implementing cleaning protocols for equipment and space between training sessions.
• Minimizing the number of students who are interacting within six feet.
  • Schedule students into fixed, pre-determined groups for all of the above listed activities.
    • Assign no more than six students to each clinical skills small group.
    • Each clinical skills small group would be further broken down into two triads of three students each.
    • Each triad, comprised of the same three students, would then be assigned to same table for sterile technique and suturing, Anatomy dissection and Ultrasound Lab scanning sessions.
  • Undertake consideration of physical space to mitigate risk.
    • Move Ultrasound Lab scanning sessions into the CAST lab in order to increase spacing between the 13 beds to at least 6 feet apart.
    • For Anatomy dissection, space the 13 tables (one donor body per table) to at least 6 feet apart.
• Equipment (ex. otoscope, dissection tools, etc) may be shared between learners in scenarios when protective gear listed above is used.