
In December and January, CA-1 residents in the University of Florida (UF) Department of Anesthesiology took time out of their busy schedules to participate in a multi-institutional study funded by the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) to determine the best way to teach anesthesiology residents how to use a manual external defibrillator (MED).
The MED is a crucial medical device used to treat life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and is a key component in the Advanced Life Support (ALS) algorithm. “Many residents go through their training without receiving a formal education on how to use an external defibrillator,” said Soleil Schutte, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and UF site director for the study. “FAER wants to determine the best way to address this education gap.”

Christopher Samouce, Ph.D., assistant scientist with the UF Department of Anesthesiology and an engineer with the UF Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies (CSSALT), is the site principal investigator (PI) for UF. CSSALT, in collaboration with Michael Kazior, M.D., an assistant professor at the Richmond VA Medical Center and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and PI for the overall study, developed an online simulator to teach residents the three primary functions of the MED: defibrillation, cardioversion, and pacing. “The study aims to evaluate if the online simulator is as effective as in-person teaching,” Schutte said.
One group of residents received in-person training, while another group trained using the online simulator. In three months, the residents will participate in an Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess their retention of knowledge and skills. “Validating this educational tool for the MED would provide a valuable resource for learners in anesthesia and other fields,” said Samouce. “It would particularly benefit learners with limited access to hands-on instruction and those looking to gain or refresh skills without the need to set up the clinical equipment.”
The study is being conducted at UF, VCU, the University of North Carolina, the University of Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt University.