Douglas Cassidy, M.D. leads simulation curriculum in the department’s new simulation space

Douglas Cassidy, M.D., is the Director of  Surgical Simulation for the MUSC General Surgery Residency Program. He is passionate about incorporating surgical simulation into a general surgery residency curriculum. He says simulation-based training can improve technical skills and enhance communication skills,  situational awareness, and interprofessional team dynamics to optimize patient safety.

 

Cassidy is exceedingly  well-trained in surgical and simulation education. During his research  years in residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital Department, he  completed the Surgical Education and Simulation Research Fellowship and  an additional Surgical Education Research Fellowship (SERF) program  through the Association for Surgical Education (ASE).He joined MUSC in October, and the timing could not have been more perfect.The Department was planning a significant renovation, including remodeling the General Surgery Resident Education Space.

 

The upgrades included a  brand new state-of-the-art Surgical Simulation Center, which officially opened on September 3 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The simulation suite features surgical trainers in laparoscopic surgery, robotic surgery, endoscopy, microscopic surgery, and surgical equipment to practice open surgical skills and techniques. The main OR  da Vinci Simulator is also in this simulation space. The skills lab will also serve as our residents’ SAGES FLS and FES testing center and will also be utilized for classroom and small-group learning.

 

Strategically located adjacent to the resident workspace, the Center is accessible to the residents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cassidy emphasizes the importance of this convenience, not only for their practice but also for their skills development and testing purposes.

 

“You can have a multi-million dollar simulation center, but if it’s not accessible, it’s not going to get used,” he points out. "The residents work long hours and often can’t go to another building that might house a Simulation Center when caring for patients. Having these simulators in one easily accessible area helps facilitate the resident training opportunities. 

“Having all of those simulators in one easily accessible area on a 24-hour basis helps facilitate their learning. They can practice their skills and complete their training assessments at a time that is convenient to them,” said Cassidy. “We are very fortunate  to have leadership invest in the resident training experience in such a  meaningful way.”