‘Going Professional’: using point-of-view filming to facilitate preparation for practice in final year medical students

Abstract

First person or point-of-view (POV) filming is well established in the social sciences field to facilitate the study and systematic recording of human cultures, known as ethnography.1 However, few reports exist regarding POV video applications in medical education. Lynch et al 2 describe how POV video vignettes filmed in a simulated environment can be used to teach clinical skills to student paramedics,2 while Leslie et al report using recordable video sports glasses to record trainees performing central neuroaxial blockade to serve as an acceptable method of workplace-based assessment.3 We describe how POV filming was used to deliver an en masse ward simulation exercise at the University of Aberdeen for final year medical students as a means of preparing them for life on the wards as a foundation doctor. The General Medical Council (GMC) specify that medical students must have access to technology enhanced and simulation-based learning opportunities, while a recent Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) systematic review on high-fidelity medical simulations also acknowledged that ‘simulation-based medical education is best employed to prepare learners for real patient contact’.4 Small group ward simulation exercises are employed in a number of institutions to replicate patient contact in a realistic, yet safe learning environment. The theoretical framework that underpins such simulations is that of experiential learning. However, for large …