2019 HSC Section 2 - Practice Management

Emotional Intelligence and Simulation

simulation with a didactic curriculum demonstrates the potential of simulation to pro- vide feedback and an opportunity for reflection as well as the benefit of repetition. Within emergency medicine, simulation has been used to assess resident profes- sionalism in a variety of ethically challenging scenarios such as withdrawing care, engaging in an end-of-life conversation with a terminally ill patient, or refusing an attending physician’s request to allow a medical student to practice intubation on a recently deceased patient. 39 Residents in this study benefited from the fact that simu- lation can provide standardized scenarios to residents in a safe and supportive way; no patients are actually harmed as the consequence of the ethical decision making, and they have the opportunity to practice refusing an unethical request from an attending physician without fear of retribution. Different researchers have aimed to use simulation to assess and develop nontech- nical skills in surgery as well. Kneebone and colleagues 45 have designed a carotid endarterectomy simulator that, in addition to addressing a surgeon’s technical ability to complete the procedure, assesses an individual’s ability to gain informed consent, maintain appropriate patient communication, and manage stress during an operation that is sometimes done on a conscious patient. 46,47 Part of the design of this simulator was to incorporate a real standardized patient as a means to activate a rich and com- plex emotional response to the simulation scenario, thus making it more similar to real clinical encounters when compared with mannequin-based simulation. Simulation and Emotional Intelligence in Business Although the authors are unaware of any surgical simulation that is specifically tar- geted to developing EI, several products exist in the business world that are designed to spur the growth of an individual’s skills and comfort in managing the emotions of oneself and others. Citing the relationship between increased work achievement and EI, multiple companies have marketed simulation-based EI training as a path to- ward greater career success. In 2009, the Harvard Business Review published a computer-based simulation entitled Leading Teams with Emotional Intelligence. 48 The simulation is described as “an interactive case” that will “hone your leadership skills in a safe environment” and enable you to “apply the tools immediately to your current job.” The listed price is $225, and unfortunately few details of the simulation are readily available without purchase of the product. Simulearn Inc (Norwalk, CT, USA), has also published a computer-based simulation product entitled “vLeader,” which has been marketed as a program that increases EI as a means to increase personal effectives and leadership ability. 49 vLeader learners participate in a gamelike program in which they virtually attend meetings simulated by actors ( Fig. 1 ). Simulearn advertises the benefits of simulated learning as being a safe environment for practicing, experimenting, and exploring different strategies of solving interpersonal dilemmas. vLeader simulates situations that are emotionally demanding. They cite a handful of research studies in which use of vLeader was associated with positive outcomes such as an increase in the 360 ratings of managers or in the measured EI scores of college students participating in a business course. 50,51 Blueline Simulations takes a slightly different approach to simulation and EI by offer- ing to build custom simulated environments for companies to use in employee training. 52 Blueline states that it will recreate a corporation’s business in a simulated gaming environment so that employees can practice interaction with clients, use a company’s software, or manipulate complex or dangerous equipment in a safe, engaging environment. Although not specifically geared toward the development of EI, Blueline does emphasize that its simulations lead to more effective interactions

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