This website uses cookies to enhance your experience in navigating the site, to personalize your academic tutoring, and to contribute to our research in education. By continuing, we understand that you accept the use of cookies. I Accept Cookies policy

Practicum Script guides clinicians to expand their diagnostic arsenal with informed and analytical criteria

DR. JORGE SANDOVAL

Resident in Gastroenterology at the Costa Rican Social Security Fund

The gastroenterologist Jorge Sandoval is a resident in Costa Rica whose records in the Practicum Script simulator surpass a coincidence of 70% in hypotheses and 80% in scenarios. In his opinion, "certainty is not always present” in healthcare practice, “so the presentation of real clinical cases is quite useful." In fact, he believes that "uncertainty is constantly present in patient management and the criteria defining a therapeutic approach is based on experience and reasoned clinical suspicion."

Madrid, July 24, 2018. As a resident used to measurement of progress and evaluation of acquired competences, the portfolio has been Dr. Jorge Sandoval’s best ally to complete the last course of Practicum Script in the specialty of Gastroenterology. The young doctor is a graduate of the University of Costa Rica, is currently staffed as a resident at the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, and has several articles pending publication in endoscopy journals. He speaks with conviction: "In an academic sense, it seems to me that the simulator presents updated and reasoned options on how to approach a clinical case, which are consistent with scenarios that we face at a hospital on a daily basis."

In this sense, he believes that "Practicum Script changes the clinicians’ way of thinking and guides them to expand their diagnostic arsenal with informed and analytical criteria." Providing tools of this nature "allows one to put into practice acquired skills and improves patient care." His professional scope is divided into a double function of worker and student at an institution in which the work is supervised by a specialist. "The modality,” he says, “consists of an initial assessment of the patient, with an eventual plan and therapeutic proposal discussed later with the attending physician, who may or may not agree and correct or offer guidelines to be followed in that particular case." In these situations, Practicum Script favors training free of consequences.

"In Costa Rica, the absence of statistics regarding errors is remarkable. However, we know that they are possible at any consultation, and even more when an environment promoting human failure is created, for example, with work overload, which is evidenced in the observation of gastroenterologists with more than 20 patients scheduled to be seen in 3 hours, endoscopy units with more than 10 colonoscopies scheduled to be performed in 4 hours, management commitments, and a long list of hardships." In relation to time, Practicum Script is useful as it allows us to exercise the capacity of automatic and unconscious recognition of clinical patterns, shortening the time to formulate hypotheses and then intensifying the reflection on the exercise itself. For Dr. Sandoval, "the tool is precious in the setting of hospital rounds."

Global spirit
Like every millennial, another advantage that the resident considers very opportune is the possibility to access the course using any type of device, especially using the app downloaded on his smartphone. "This allows us to complete the modules based on our time availability." It results, ultimately, in user autonomy. Dr. Sandoval specifically averaged 25 minutes in solving each case, thanking the possibility of requesting reviews and continuity in the same line of reasoning. "The resource is offered in an excellent way for anyone who decides to take on the challenge and complete the training," he says.

On the other hand, "the opening to international horizons outlines a future focused on the growth of the medical community." Gathering knowledge and especially learning how to think are global tasks and the interesting thing, in his opinion, is to share. To this end, Dr. Sandoval does not hesitate to turn over and export his knowledge. "At the moment, I have a review article about heterotopic gastric mucosa approved by a Mexican journal of digestive endoscopy, as well as a poster with a review of 100 cases of submucosal dissection in Costa Rica to be presented at the Pan-American Congress in Brazil. I am also working on an article about rectal endometriosis for publication in an endoscopy journal.”

 

Testimonies

For me, the program is very interesting, since it allows me to sharpen my interrogation and direct it more towards a specific pathology and to have more knowledge of laboratory and cabinet exams. I think it is very important that we keep our medical sagacity throughout our practice and that in the few minutes it takes to answer any of the cases that Practicum Script presents, you acquire more knowledge.

Dr. Miguel Olivares Alcocer

Pediatrician in Guanajuato (Mexico)

I would like to express my gratitude to the Practicum Institute of Health Sciences Research for the opportunity given to Latin American physicians  to access and take different courses of our specialty for the benefit of our dear patients, in my case in Mexico. It has encouraged me to improve myself and keep abreast of the advances in Pediatrics and put into practice the knowledge acquired in the hospital where I work. Thanks friends and congratulations to this valuable team of Practicum Script Education.

Dr. Heriberto Fuentes García

Pediatrician in Sonora (Mexico)

I am grateful for this study tool that, through Nestlé and with this method, allows us to review different issues with cases that confront us in decision-making and serve us in the daily consultation.

Dr. Josué Refugio de León Padilla

Pediatrician in Jalisco (Mexico)

It is an excellent educational support platform for the pediatrician, offers very specific clinical challenges with alternatives for diagnosis and differential diagnoses, with the support of experts, a bibliography and a forum to share opinions. It's easy to navigate and it's fun, a tool that's worth using and making the most of it.

Dr. Guillermo Yanowsky-Reyes

Surgery Pediatrician in Guadalajara (Mexico)
See all the stories

Script Connect
Personalized help center

Our personalized help center enables you to obtain technical support and help for navigating through the site and using the program.

Frequently asked questions

I accept the data privacy policy