Senator Pia Cayetano watched a patient undergoing medical simulation during the launching of the New Clinical Simulation Laboratory of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in Manila which is expected to be a game-changer that will open even more opportunities for the training and education of our medical students, says the senator.
‘GAME-CHANGER IN MEDICAL EDUC
Pia hails launch of UP’s Clinical Simulation Laboratory
SENATOR Pia S. Cayetano has called the newly established Clinical Simulation Laboratory of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM) a “game-changer” in medical education and training in the country.
Cayetano was the guest of honor at the launch of the laboratory at the UPCM campus in Manila last September 20.
According to Dr. Maria Julieta Germar, Director of the UPCM Clinical Simulation Laboratory, the facility would allow students to experience clinical scenarios using mannequins that can be programmed to simulate patients in different medical scenarios, such as cardiac arrest or a patient bleeding after a normal birth delivery.
Dr. Germar further explained that students will learn to ‘diagnose’ and ‘treat’ the mannequin, while their professor can manipulate the scenario by programming the mannequin to respond to the treatment. The students are then given feedback, thus making learning experiential while in a safe space.
The UPCM Clinical Simulation Laboratory was first introduced to Cayetano back in 2020. This was when the panel she chaired, the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation, and Futures Thinking, conducted a hearing on the “futures of health.”
“We felt funding the laboratory was perfect because we need to be able to show the whole country how we can transform the delivery of healthcare through available technology,” she recalled.
Cayetano also noted that the funding of the laboratory was made possible with the support of Senate Finance Chair Senator Sonny Angara.
Finally, Cayetano shared how initiatives like the UPCM Clinical Simulation Laboratory give her the most fulfillment, both as a health and futures advocate. With such forward-looking projects, she said that “there’s a way that we can at least imagine and prepare for an alternative, preferred future.”
“Medical science is rapidly being shaped by virtual reality and artificial intelligence. This is also what we must aspire for as our preferred future,” she stressed.
“Congratulations to everyone! It’s been a long process and I am happy to be a part of this journey. I trust that this laboratory is just the beginning; it’s a game-changer that will open even more opportunities for the training and education of our medical students,” the senator concluded.
