Medical Students at Comenius University Learn to Work with Ultrasound Technology Thanks to a Simulator
Bratislava, 12 November 2018: Medical ultrasound is one of the most commonly used diagnostic methods that can present the images of internal organs as well as their size and any pathological changes. Since the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year, students at the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University in Bratislava have been able to learn about working with medical ultrasound much faster and in a risk-free manner for patients thanks to the new VIMEDIX® ultrasound simulator.
Thanks to its speed, reproducibility, and particularly non-invasiveness, medical ultrasound is a widely used clinical method. Alongside technological advances in the field of ultrasound devices, its widespread use means that keeping up with modern developments is all the more important in medical ultrasound teaching practice.
In cooperation with its Department of Simulation and Virtual Medicine Education, the Faculty of Medicine at Comenius University in Bratislava purchased a VIMEDIX® ultrasound simulator, which from this academic year is helping educate medical students. Experts regard this machine as the most realistic and most versatile ultrasound simulator on the market; it is already in use at several renowned medical academic institutions.
“This is an innovative ultrasound training platform that allows students to learn medical ultrasound techniques much faster and without any risk to patients. When working with it, the same probes are used as in real life. The simulator has an anatomical shape and, in addition to a real ultrasound image, it enables computer 3D imaging,” said Associate Professor Pavol Vitovič from the Department of Simulation and Virtual Medical Education at the Faculty of Medicine.
One advantage of the VIMEDIX® simulator is its ability to display individual organs and tissues along with the setting of a wide range of pathologies which students may encounter in their future professional lives. The machine will be gradually integrated into the curricula of general and dental medicine with an emphasis on its use in the teaching of theoretical and clinical subjects.
“During the lesson, students will be able to monitor their work directly alongside the location and routing of the probe, including the imaging of anatomical slices. In an intuitive way, the habit of working with ultrasound will form in their thinking, which can increase their competitiveness in the job market,” Associate Professor Vitovič said.
“The use of innovative ultrasound diagnostic methods and a modern virtual ultrasound simulator for teaching our students will lead to a highly effective teaching of future doctors and will ultimately bring about a high level of preparedness and expertise in practice, resulting in the maximization of the quality of diagnostics and successful treatment of patients. And this is the primary task of medical education at our university,” said Comenius University Rector, Professor Karol Mičieta.