Virtual Patients: Story from the Frontlines

Virtual patients are interactive computer simulations of clinical scenarios used for educating healthcare professionals (Posel, Fleiszer, & Shore, 2009). Virtual patients are meant to help address complexities in medicine, promote active learning, and encourage critical decision-making (Posel, Fleiszer, & Shore, 2009).

Now, here is how I got involved with building virtual patient cases. Back in October of 2011, I started a project called Internal Medicine Clinical Encounters. The idea for it first began during my Pediatrics rotation, where we were introduced to a Virtual Patient case series called CLIPP (Computer-assisted Learning in Pediatrics Program) developed by medical students in the United States. I greatly appreciated the step-by-step approach to common pediatric cases and found it to be an excellent resource. While going through my Medicine rotation, I wanted to find a similar resource for Internal Medicine but most resources were either not freely accessible or were targeted towards an American audience.

 During my electives in my final year of medical school, I was inspired by my preceptors and their strong interests in medical education to reflect on my own experience in medical school and what I can do to improve this for future generations. It was then that the idea of creating a series of core Internal Medicine cases took form and took hold.

 I spoke with other students in my class and found that my idea resonated. We formed a small dedicated group of student Case Writers, supported with a few team members with more technical expertise. I got in touch with one of my mentors, who was very interested in our idea and who became our Faculty Advisor. Together we contacted and recruit a team of staff physicians to be our Faculty Case Editors.


To Be Continued…

-Jenny