Matthew Vanneman is a resident in Anesthesia at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. He spent the month of October at the Center for Medical Simulation on an elective rotation. The goal of the rotation program is to expose residents to the potential and operational use of simulation for education, clinical training and research. Over the course of the month, residents develop simulation scenarios including patient records, plot, setup, debriefing notes, and references.

“My stay at CMS was one of the most pivotal moments of my medical career. When I first showed up to CMS, I thought I would receive some instruction on how to organize and perform medical simulation better, but instead my entire world view of medical education was completed upended. CMS taught me that much of the “conventional” methods of teaching medical education that I had experienced during my training were actually missing so many of the key elements of adult learning theory, and as a result, leaving learners behind. Since the course, I have completely change my own methodology for teaching (which, I found out, takes a lot of practice!), and I am now so excited to further develop my skills as an educator. Through the course, I was extremely lucky to meet such an incredibly diverse group of people, coming from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Pakistan, as well as all over the United States, and to learn from their experiences and perspectives about medical education. These conversations have deeply shaped me, not only as an educator, but also as a person. IMS has opened my eyes to an enormous new world and method of medical education, and has driven me to continue to improve my teaching to reach my goal of becoming an expert in medical education.”

-Matt Vanneman, MD