Assessing student usage, perception, and the utility of a Web-based simulation in a third-year medical school clerkship

•WBS did not interrupt students' clinical duties or add an excessive workload.•This study found that simulation is generally viewed as a favorable learning method by students.•The WBS helped most students realize a learning objective they otherwise would not have.

Study objectiveThe goals of this study were to assess students' usage data of Web-based simulation (WBS), to determine if it can fill gaps in clinical experience-based medical education, and to determine students' perceived value of this kind of simulation during a clinical clerkship.DesignObservational/prospective cohort.SettingMedical school affiliated with a large academic hospital.SubjectsA total od 138 medical students.InterventionsWeb-based simulation.MeasurementsMedical students in an anesthesiology clerkship were assigned a WBS focusing on the clinical use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs). Usage data, including day of week and time of day that the simulation was used and total usage time, were collected for 99 students. Eighty voluntary survey responses, which gauged student perception of the simulation and clinical exposure to PACs, were also collected.Main resultsSeventy-two percent of attempts were made during nonclinical hours of 5 pm to 7 am. Seventy-seven percent of students spent less than 30 minutes in total using the simulation. Students preferred the simulation (rated 4.1/5) over textbook (3.59) learning to a statistically significant degree (P < .001) and held favorable views toward the simulation. Sixty-seven percent of students had never encountered a patient with a PAC before performing the simulation, and 41% did not discuss this learning objective during their clerkship. Students' self-rated understanding of PACs significantly increased from a presimulation score of 1.8 of 5, to 2.56 (mean difference, 0.760; P < .001) after using the simulation.ConclusionsWBS in medical school clerkships is accepted by students and can fill gaps in clinical medical school education, without negatively affecting students' workloads or clerkship experiences.