Miami Dade College – Adjusting to the New Normal

Miami Dade College (MDC) Medical Campus has been hard at work since June 1st working with students on campus. We had almost 10,000 students working on laboratory and simulation instruction in our Health Science programs in June and July. The classrooms have been equipped with ceiling-mounted cameras and microphones, which our faculty use to connect with remote learning students using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra—heightening our technology to include document cameras and writing pads available to support instruction. Telepresence equipment training and one-on-one assistance in the classroom were provided to our faculty members to enhance the learning delivery during these unique times.

 

As we ease into some normalcy on campus, activities are slowly picking up where we left off. This Fall semester, we welcomed students from over 21 programs in the School of Health Sciences. Students were excited to be back on campus and following MDC and the CDC safety guidelines. Our competitive Physician Assistant program will soon begin the selection process for the incoming class of 2021, and the top 100 candidates will be invited to interview. Students from Dental, Veterinary Technology, Sonography, Radiological Technology, EMS, Medical Lab Science, and PTA programs learn through face to face instruction in a social distance capacity. The School of Health Sciences Nuclear Medicine Technology Program will offer two additional courses during the second 8 weeks of the Fall term along with First Responder and Introduction to Healthcare. Additionally, the Massage Therapy program will offer two sections of the Massage Therapy Clinical Practicum course to equip our students for the workforce.

 

The Nursing program has been teaching remotely and utilizing online software since last March. As the nursing shortage is critical in most states, and South Florida is no exception. Clinical competencies were met through simulation to ensure the Benjamin Leon School of Nursing continued to provide the qualified graduates the needed practice, especially during COVID19. Virtual patient encounters through iHuman allowed students to participate in a comprehensive history, intervention, and evaluation of a patient. This software covers the lifespan, including specialties such as pediatrics, obstetrics, and mental health. The scenarios improve clinical assessment skills and are mapped to the licensure exam and help students transition into practice. Case studies that evolved from the textbook were provided, allowing students to simulate high-level skills such as delegation. Students graduated on time and have participated in different online technology to identify strengths and weaknesses with remediation, followed by a success coach. Faculty presented lectures through the Blackboard course sites with lectures presented synchronously and often taped for further review. Presently as some faculty and students return to campus, telepresence enables social distancing while retaining consistency for all course presentations.  

 

Simulation has been a big part of our support for students. The Simulation Hospital has the NEW! CAE VimedixAR high-fidelity simulator accelerates the Ultrasound Learning Process through an engaging augmented reality solution for cardiac, lung, abdominal, and OB/Gyn ultrasound. With the innovative software powered by the Microsoft HoloLens and state of the art manikin-based system, students develop essential psychomotor and cognitive skills for ultrasound probe handling, image interpretation, diagnosis, and clinical decision making. This type of training provides for improved skills retention with self-paced and repeatable learning. 

 

MDC Medical Campus has just introduced an advanced virtual reality education platform called AnatomyX. Students can explore photorealistic anatomy in great detail from real medical imaging powered by Magic Leap headset, Lightpack clipped on your pocket, and a controller for a new era in healthcare education. Students see the illusion of 3D images projected into the real world, which you can walk around the room and interact with.

Additional space within the Simulation Hospital has been outfitted to provide two extra Simulation rooms to expand opportunities for training to our healthcare and education partners.

 

The Medical Campus is positioned to continue supporting student learning with face to face lecture and simulation and are working closely with our hospital partners to place our students in clinical rotations.