Mayo Medical School

In the Mayo Clinic, the students get involved. They are put in a real working environment with staff coming in and out, phones ringing, and all the equipment running. David Farley, M.D. a Mayo Clinic surgeon and vice chair for education in Mayo’s Department of Surgery in Rochester, Minn says that the best way for the students to learn is to practice, practice, practice.

"We want our students to have training in the operating room, so they understand what's happening around them and are familiar with all the sights and sounds in there," says Dr. Farley. "Surgeons are asked to make crucial decisions in this environment, and it's not an easy one to work in. People have to learn to think on their feet."

The educators answer students questions in the classrooms, conferences, and publications. Our researchers seek answers to biomedical questions and then translate those answers into new treatments for patients.

Surgical residents do not just watch the operating process in the operating room, they are immersed in the environment through the Multidisciplinary Simulation Center and learn what it’s like to be in surgery first-hand. However, in this case, if they make mistakes, it is only a simulation. In this environment, nearly any medical situation can be simulated with life-size, very life-like mannequins. Students learn endoscopic procedures, cardiac catheterization, and colonoscopy in this area that has an operating room, emergency room, intensive care unity, and an endovascular lab.

When walking into the first floor of the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center, it leads to the Stabile Building. It looks like most areas in doctors or hospitals. There is a reception desk, signs pointing in the direction needed to go, and several exam rooms.

"In this setting, it's okay to make a mistake. In fact, sometimes it's great because it gives us a perfect opportunity to teach," says Dr. Farley. "The really impressive part is that after our students leave the center, the experiences stay with them. Adults learn better by being involved in a process like this. Although the simulation center is only one part of the students' education, it's a crucial one. The realistic situations in the center engage them in a way that makes a lasting impression and enhances their ability to use mature judgment -- a critical skill they need as surgeons."

Once the session is over, there is a debriefing to analyze what went right in the surgery and what went wrong. Students can watch video of the simulation so they can see what exactly happened and learn from it. With the Multidisciplinary Simulation Center, students can learn to react appropriately in difficult situations before they face real patients.

Dr. Farley says that the simulation center is a great place for Mayo Clinic’s surgery resident students to learn problem-solving skills and teambuilding. "When residents are working in the hospital, there's no guarantee they will be involved in a variety of cases," he says. "The simulation center allows us to concoct educational experiences, so our students are ready to handle rare situations that they may not see otherwise."

For instance, in one session, students surgically remove a tumor form the pancreas and send the tumor to the lab for evaluation. They wait in the operating room to receive a call from the pathologist. If cancer is reported in the tissue, the students must decide what to do about the situation.

The College of Medicine at Mayo Clinic includes 5 schools. Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education is the oldest and has trained more than 17,000 alumni in every medical field since 1915.

Mayo Graduate School has been open since 1917 and houses 6 biomedical subspecialties. They enroll on average 300 predoctoral students and graduate 50 Master’s and Ph.D students a year.

Mayo Medical School, open since 1972, has graduated more than 1,000 students and enrolls 42 students a year. It also trains medical clerkship students and Summer Minority Medical Students.

Mayo School of Health Science’s enrollment has increased to over 1,275 annually. They train students in 30 allied health science programs which offer associate’s, bachelor’s, certificates, master’s, and Ph.D levels, as well as clinical internships.

Mayo School of Continuing Medical Education became a school in 1996 and offers 257 courses and 7,000 hours of continuing medical education a year.

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