Finding the time to hang out with friends can be difficult but when you’re friends are all practicing anesthesiologists, it’s next to impossible. Josh Ferguson, Andy Spellman, and David Walton became friends in 2003 during their anesthesiology residency in St. Louis. Even though the group has stayed in touch since then, their careers as anesthesiologists make it tough to align their schedules.
After some searching, Josh proposed taking a crisis resource management course together at the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS). They would be able to fulfill their MOCA® Part IV requirement and visit Boston together, a win-win. Although the trio was excited to reunite, travelling across the country to take a course for the first time can be nerve-racing: “I didn’t really know what to expect, having never done a simulation before, just exposed to the rudimentary stuff that we did in residency”, says David, who practices in Austin, Texas. Josh and Andy, who both practice in St. Louis, took a simulation together in the past, both agreed that the uncertainty leading up to the course can be anxiety-inducing.
When the course date finally arrived, the three friends dove right in and took on the challenges of completing multiple simulation scenarios. By the end of the day, they knew that they had made the right choice taking this course: “I was pleasantly surprised, it was a good day, and I learned a lot, and learned some things that I will definitely implement into my practice,” explains Josh.
“I thought it was going to be more, come up with a diagnosis and let’s see if you ‘pass or fail’ by treating this certain condition but it was more about the approach on how you handle the situation, not necessarily the problem that the patient has,” says David.
“This was more about the ‘process of solving the problem’ is the problem itself,” adds Andy.
The Center for Medical Simulation is an endorsed program in the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Simulation Education Network and has ensured that this workshop complies with the American Board of Anesthesiologists’ Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesia MOCA® Part IV simulation requirements. MOCA® is a registered certification mark of the American Board of Anesthesiology, Inc. (ABA).
