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March 25, 2026

Impact of Interactive Skills Sessions on Medical Students Learning AWLS

Puntos clave

To evaluate the effectiveness of interactive skills sessions on medical students' learning in wilderness medicine.
Developed an Advanced Wilderness Life Support elective course at Cooper Medical School.
Conducted daily lectures and afternoon simulations with hands-on practice.
Administered pre- and post-course surveys to assess knowledge and skills retention.
Administered a second survey to evaluate the impact of hands-on sessions.
Median knowledge score increased from 65% pretest to 85% post-test.
86% of students rated hands-on skills as important for learning.
71% of students felt more confident recognizing and treating wilderness emergencies.
Retention scores indicated varying levels of confidence in skills post-course.

Resumen

Summary: To expand wilderness medicine education for medical students, the Advanced Wilderness Life Support elective course at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University was developed and piloted. The course is a one-week introduction to wilderness medicine approaches, treatments, and working with limited resources. This course consisted of a unique format of daily lectures followed by afternoon simulations, hands-on practice, and practical skills. Topics included performing primary and secondary surveys in the backcountry, basic preparedness, and various wilderness emergencies. Students participated in simulations incorporating these topics, culminating in a written exam and a practical skills exam. Passing both exams resulted in Advanced Wilderness Life Support certification. Ten students participated in the course. Students received a survey pre- and post-course to assess their knowledge of the information taught. The results of the survey showed the median score improved from 65% pretest to 85% post-test. Results indicate an improvement in knowledge following the AWLS course. A second survey was given to gauge the impact of the hands-on sessions with four questions using a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being ‘did not have an impact’, 5 being ‘crucial to learning’). Six students (86%) felt that hands-on skills were important to learning and retaining the content taught in this course (43% rated 4, 43% rated 5). Five students (71%) completely agreed (rated 5) that their confidence in recognizing and appropriately treating wilderness medicine emergencies benefited from the hands-on sessions compared to lectures only. Regarding retention, five students (71%) rated 4, one student rated 3, and one student rated 2 (1=do not feel confident in my skills; 5=feel confident in my skills). Overall, these results indicate that interactive, hands-on sessions enhance the learning experience for students, potentially improve retention, and should be considered integral components of wilderness medicine elective courses.

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Cite This Study

Sarkisian et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69c37afeb34aaaeb1a67cf94 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x26103185

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