COVID-19 was a challenge that many Surgical Technology Programs had to overcome so that the learners were still able to gain experience and hours while studying from home. Northwestern Michigan College was one of those schools that had to find solutions quickly. The Surgical Technology Program Coordinator, April Kesler, was looking to purchase something that Above: Northwestern Michigan College Campus. 3 Northwestern Michigan College would help with lab sessions when she came across PeriopSim. She recognized it from when it was brought up before in the Surgical Technology Instructor group on Facebook and decided to look into it further.

All of the learners in the Surgical Technology Program are required to have their own iPad. So, April had to find something that would integrate smoothly with their current devices. She wanted a tool that could be used inside and outside of the classroom. This was a big priority for her because of COVID-19. If the learners could not come into the lab, it was important that they were still able to get the practice they needed. April said it was the right time and the right tool that she needed at the moment.

“It was the right time and the right tool needed at the moment.”

- April Kesler, Surgical Technology Program Coordinator

Although Northwestern Michigan College’s Surgical Technology Program had only been using PeriopSim for three months, the learners were able to achieve many A’s. Usually, each experience module takes around seven to ten times before a learner is able to achieve an A grade. As all learners were heavy users of PeriopSim, April noticed a huge improvement in learning and said, “Their testing is better than my cohorts in the past and I can see the difference. The learners understand the instruments and procedures better since they can anticipate what is going to happen.”

To see how they were able to achieve the high scores, read the whole story here!