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The Effect of Vaginal Delivery Simulation on Medical Student Education

INTRODUCTION: Many medical students feel anxious and unprepared for their first vaginal delivery. Simulation of the procedure can do much to boost learner confidence and build the necessary skills before a student's first real-life delivery. Although simulation is now used to aid in the training of obstetric emergencies such as shoulder dystocia and obstetrical hemorrhage, its use in training of uncomplicated vaginal delivery is underexplored. METHODS: Beginning in April 2013, third-year students participated in a 90-minute vaginal delivery simulation session using the Noelle Simulator at the beginning of a 4-week obstetrics–gynecology clerkship. They were surveyed using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire (1=inferior, 5=superior) at the completion of the clerkship to assess self-perceived training adequacy and clinical preparedness. Fourth-year students who completed a 4-week clerkship before the introduction of simulation were also surveyed. Scores between third- and fourth-year students were compared with a Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Third-year students (n=38) who received simulation training gave their training in vaginal deliveries an average rating of 4.0 compared with 2.6 for fourth-year medical students (n=47) who did not receive simulation training (P<.001). Self-perceived preparedness to perform a vaginal delivery was 3.9 in third-year medical students compared with 2.9 in the fourth-year medical students (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Simulation dramatically improved the medical student's self-assessment of their training adequacy and readiness to perform a real-life vaginal delivery. Further study is required to determine how much simulation training improves clinical proficiency in this group of learners.