
From MHAM to Singapore: (L-R) Dr. Marilou Viray, Dr. Arvisminda Ladiao and Dr. Maria Luisita Caturza and Dr. Dale Pasco
Four MHAM full-time faculty representatives were sent to the Centre for Healthcare Simulation at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine for a Simulation Faculty Development Workshop last September 25 to 29, 2017.
NHAM Chairpersons of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Dale Pasco; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Marilou Viray; Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Maria Luisita Caturza; and Department of Internal Medicine faculty, Dr. Arvisminda Ladiao were among the Asian medical professionals who attended the 5-day simulation course.

L-R: MHAM CM, Inc. Chairpersons of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Dale Pasco; Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Maria Luisita Caturza; NUS Director of the Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Dr. Suresh Pillai; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Marilou Viray; and Department of Internal Medicine faculty, Dr. Arvisminda Ladiao
This has been the fourth time that MHAM faculty members were sent to NUS with the former’s thrust in establishing the MHAM Sim CITTI (Simulation Center for Integrated Teaching and Training Innovation) that will allow the students to learn the clinical skills rooted from simulated scenarios in a very safe environment before they are sent to the actual patients.
Designed and developed by MHAM Chief of Clinics Dr. Axel Elises as an open-ended city-building known as ‘simcity’ which stimulates life, the Sim CITTI was coined from a popular console video game series and a product of taking cue from other Simulation Centers outside the country.

Soon-to-be in MHAM: Sim CITTI (Simulation Center for Integrated Teaching and Training Innovation)
In an interview with the MHAM class of 1984 alumnus and Chairman of the Surgery Department, Dr. Dale Pasco, the intensive simulation workshop at the NUS is a Harvard-led course whose expertise in running a simulation program is highly-leveled among Asian countries.

With Surgery Department Chairman, Dr. Dale Y. Pasco

Interview with the Chairman of the Department of Surgery, Dr. Dale Y. Pasco…
“We were sent to NUS in line with the preparation of our MHAM Sim CITTI and it was indeed productive with seemingly-real scenarios during the workshop. We were divided into four groups with given-situations to simulate and diagnose the case according to the learning objective within a time frame”, said Dr. Pasco.
This fellow of the Philippine Society of General Surgeon also divulged that the purpose of the Simulation Faculty Development Workshop is to train more faculty on how to conduct a simulation. Moreover, the acquired learning from the said simulation course is very helpful to all participating healthcare educators to understand the benefits and limits of the simulated clinical setting.

With MHAM Class of 1984 alumnus, Dale Y. Pasco, MD
While the simulation-based education is now adopted by tertiary healthcare institutions, Dr. Pasco added that MHAM students can actually apply near-to-real scenarios before they are sent for exposure through the Sim CITTI. “It is very significant because it will apply into the actual practice not only for the faculty but for the students where the latter will have now a taste of the real clinical situations which are now being simulated before they face the real patients”, he concluded.

Invading Singapore: From MHAM to NUS
The entire simulation course was led by the Harvard Medical School faculty-experts together with the NUS’ Director of the Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Dr. Suresh Pillai.

We Are MHAM faculty with NUS Director of the Centre for Healthcare Simulation, Dr. Suresh Pillai
The first NUS visit for benchmarking purposes was in October 2016 with five members of the Core Group along with its directive plan to put up a Skills Laboratory and Simulation Center. Last February, seven faculty members of the MHAM Sim CITTI Core Group have participated a two-session workshop on “Fundamentals of Simulation-Based Healthcare Education” and “Debriefing in Simulation-Based Healthcare Education” followed by the College Dean, Dr. Ma. Socorro Manaloto who participated the “Simulation as a Teaching Tool: Instructor Course” last May this year.

WEAREMHAM: Keeping abreast with the latest simulation’s technological breakthrough and innovation
With a vast area of 1,800 square meter in Banawa campus, the MHAM Sim CITTI as soon-to-be the first Skills Laboratory and Training Center in the Visayas region with fully-functional and well-equipped Simulation Center with the presence of high fidelity mannequins is also intended to expand to other medical professionals in the coming years. (Ana Liza Abao)

With the MHAM faculty representatives at the National University Hospital-Singapore