Page 37 - ANZCP Gazette NOVEMBER 2022

MUSC MASTERS OF EXTRACORPOREAL SCIENCE
A STUDENT INSIGHT FROM THE INAUGURAL CLASS
Phoebe Hafner
The beginning of the fall semester in August saw four Australian trainee perfusionists begin the inaugural MUSC Masters of Extracorporeal Science program. This presented an opportunity to join in the didactic experience alongside local students in South Carolina participating in the university’s cardiovascular perfusion program.
Undeniably the 14-hour time zone difference presented the greatest initial challenge for both students and educators, and creative solutions were needed to allow active participation and unhindered access to learning resources. Throughout the initial few weeks of the program, students have accessed lectures via the university’s online lecture capture system, Panapto, which has additional utilities including adding time-stamped notes and posting questions for class discussion. Of particular benefit has been the ability to engage in active learning through the utilization of online discussion boards with other students and educators, as well as smart whiteboards for stepping through the clinical reasoning processes and biomedical calculations.
The program design utilizes a variety of assessment styles to assess our understanding and critical application of learning
material. Thus far, students have undertaken numerous smaller, weekly assignment tasks in the form of analysis of reading material, reflective writing tasks and creative illustrations of biological processes. In recent weeks, we have also sat our first online, proctored exams using ExamSoft – a novel experience for many of us that allows us to receive grades and feedback promptly.
During orientation, students unanimously expressed their greatest concern on commencement would be managing their study demands, alongside their clinical workload, as well as balancing personal life. This will be an ongoing process for students, and it is imperative that we are vigilant and maintain candid communication with our team and educators. Of course, the flexibility and diligence needed would not be achieved without the ongoing support we have received from our supervisors.
In the coming weeks we will be meeting with our allocated faculty advisors, who are intended to guide us and ensure we achieve success throughout the program at MUSC. We hope to help contribute to the ongoing development of the program with MUSC throughout the coming semesters.
Phoebe with an ECMO circuit for standby delivery of a baby with TGA
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