A Simulated Night on Call Experience for Graduating Medical Students

INTRODUCTION: A number of medical schools have developed capstone courses to help prepare medical students for their transition to residency training. As part of our capstone program, we developed a Night on Call experience for graduating medical students to simulate the experience of an intern physician responding to medical emergencies in the hospital setting. METHODS: Our 2-hour program incorporates high-fidelity simulation in a four-station format (four clinical cases) with semistructured debriefing at the conclusion of the experience. RESULTS: The program has been well received. The majority of students report that the exercise achieves its learning objectives and has been a valuable experience. In addition, the students note that our cases offer a realistic experience. DISCUSSION: A program such as this allows the faculty an opportunity to observe and provide formative feedback to the students regarding their clinical performance when caring for patients in a simulated inpatient setting.