Test of a cardiology patient simulator with students in fourth-year electives.

A total of 208 fourth-year students at five medical schools participated in an evaluation of a cardiology patient simulator (CPS). One group (116 students) used the CPS during a fourth-year cardiology elective, while another group (92 students) completed a cardiology elective that did not include use of the CPS. There were no differences between the two groups on a multiple-choice test on cardiology and a skills test on the CPS at the beginning of the clerkship. After the clerkship, the students in the CPS group achieved significantly higher scores on a multiple-choice test, a skills test on the CPS, and a skills test on cardiology patients. Both the students and faculty members expressed very favorable attitudes toward the CPS, but the patients perceived no differences between the two student groups. These data demonstrate that the CPS enhances learning both the knowledge and the skills necessary to perform a bedside cardiovascular evaluation and that the skills obtained from use of the simulator are transferable to use with patients.