GTA MUTA education

Success of First IGMA International Virtual Conference

The International GTA MUTA Association (IGMA) is a relatively new organization founded in July of 2019 as the only professional organization dedicated solely to GTA MUTA methodology. There are a fair number of professional organizations dedicated to methods of simulation from standardized patients, to partial task trainers but prior to IGMA’s founding there were none dedicated to this exceptional method of instruction. Though IGMA is in its infancy, the organization has a great number of accomplishments under its belt in the year and a half of its existence, not the least of which is a highly successful international conference that was held virtually.

The IGMA conference, Voices of Success; Global Partnerships Creating Excellence in Health Care Through GTA MUTA Education, took place on December 5 and 6, 2020 and was conducted on a virtual platform. There were seven presentations from across the United States and internationally and 21 esteemed co-presenters from four different countries. The topics ranged from racial inequity in health care, to inclusion of the methodology in sexual assault nurse examiner training, to transgender healthcare as well as a variety of others. All topics focused on some aspect of GTA/MUTA methodology and were designed to include participation from GTA/MUTA instructors, program directors and trainers.

The IGMA Board of Directors and Conference Committee are proud to say that feedback from conference attendees has been overwhelmingly positive making the conference a sweeping success. One conference attendee, Kristin Benson, a GTA Program Coordinator from Illinois, was kind enough to take the time to reach out to IGMA about her conference experience. With her permission, her thoughts have been reprinted here. We thank Ms. Benson for sharing her thoughts with us. Consider joining our organization and making a difference in the next generation of health care providers and their patients!

Dear IGMA group,

This letter is to express how marvelous the recent conference was and how glad I am that I ended up being able to attend THIS one, the very first one, as I had not been sure if I would be able to attend. The mix of speakers and topics was rewardingly eclectic and inspiring. It made me freshly grateful for my involvement in this very interesting teaching that we do and made me look forward to more sessions in the post-Covid era and even current sessions as long as enough safety protocols are in place. I especially appreciate the explicit inclusion of not just “administrators”, clinicians and faculty but of some GTAs and MUTAs from across the country and the globe who are actually in the rooms, on the tables and more recently helping to translate this teaching to the virtual format due to Covid. We have all struggled with Zoom in various ways in this Covid era but in this instance, I thought it was managed really well and rarely interfered in the ways we have sometimes encountered. I got disconnected several times due to my own internet connection and was so pleased to be readmitted promptly vs the delay I had occasionally encountered in other Zoom meetings I had attended. I was surprised at how connected I began to feel to the group as we moved together through the two packed days. Thank you so much to all of you for ALL of the hard work I am sure you put in around this AND…. SPECIAL thanks to Isle for having the initial vision and the energy I am sure she put into pushing it to this manifestation. Kudos to you all!
Best!
Kristin Benson, GTA/GTA coordinator

Thank you Kristin! See you at our next meeting!

(IGMA offers Roundtable discussions that are free and open to the public, every other month. Our next Roundtable is set for Friday, March 12, 2021 at 11:00am Eastern Standard Time. We also host events such as Webinars for members. Email admin@gtamuta.org for more information.)

Meet Our Presenters Day 2 IGMA Conference

This weekend, December 5 & 6, IGMA, the International GTA MUTA Association is hosting its first annual conference. The event is going to be held virtually and boasts a number of esteemed speakers from across the United States and internationally. Today’s blog will share some basic information about our Day 2 presentations and speakers.

Starting at 9:00am, IGMA Vice President, Scott George, will address attendees and introduce the Committee Chairs to present their reports. Mr. George has a decades long career in the field of GTA MUTA and is Executive Director of Clinical Skills USA, Inc., serves on the Advisory Board of the Men’s Health Network, is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) and is a founding member of IGMA, the International GTA MUTA Association and sits on the Board of the organization. He has collaborated with Isle Polonko in the administration of a grant project in 2010 that provided forensic evidence collection kit training to medical Residents, the results of which were instrumental in the current trends to utilize GTAs in simulation for forensic evidence collection kit training. Scott’s work as Member Liaison on the Board of ASPE sought to provide communication and networking opportunities between SANE program directors and local GTA programs. Mr. George has presented dozens of workshops and collaborated in the development of protocols for use of GTAs and MUTAs in SANE and SAFE training and is recognized as a leader in the field of GTA MUTA education.

At 10:00am, esteemed ASPE members, Holly Hopkins DNP, CNM, former GTA/MUTA SIG Chair; Chelsea Weaks Med, BSN; Tim Webster MEd, and Melih Elcin MD will present Introducing the Association of Standardized Patients (ASPE) GTA/MUTA Standards of Best Practice (SOBP). This workshop will present the Standards of Best Practices as developed by members of ASPE and case studies will be used to facilitate application of the SOBP.

Dr. Hopkins is an Associate Professor and GTA/MUTA Program Administrator at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA. She is Chair of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) Standards of Practice Committee and Past-Chair of the ASPE GTA/MUTA Special Interest Group (SIG). Holly has been involved in GTA work since 2002. Her hard work and dedication to the field has had a positive and lasting impact.

Dr. Elcin is a professor at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. He initiated the first GTA program in Turkey in 2015 and has co-authored numerous articles including an article about the project that was published July 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Simulation in Nursing entitled “Success of the First Gynecological Teaching Associate Program in Turkey. Dr. Elcin was awarded the ASPE Outstanding Educator of the Year award in 2019 and is a pioneer for simulation and GTA methodology in his region of the world.

Chelsea Weaks administers the GTA program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She the Vice Chair of the ASPE GTA/MUTA SIG and has been involved in GTA work for eight years.

Tim Webster is an experienced Standardized Patient (SP) Educator having started with the University of Manitoba as an SP in 1994, piloting and implementing the Male Urogenital Teaching Associates (MUTA) Program in 1998, and becoming a trainer in 2004. He has organized and prepared simulations for every healthcare field taught at the Rady Faculty Health Sciences, and participated as the lead SP Trainer for the Medical Council of Canada’s Winnipeg Centre since 2005. Between 2014 and 2016 he helped establish five new MUTA Programs in western Canada, and in 2019 accepted the position of Chair for the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) GTA/MUTA Special Interest Group. In 2019 he completed a master’s degree in education, which culminated in a quantitative research study confirming the efficacy of templates in compiling case information for SPs.

At 12:15 there will be a presentation of the first IGMA Lifetime Achievement Award and a video montage of influential program directors and researchers in the field of GTA MUTA education. Thank you to Ms. Kehaar and Mr. Fusco of Daily Dose Music for providing the music as background for the presentation.

At 1:15, Jennifer Lanier and Tru Chatelain from Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon will present Unconscious Bias in GTA Exams exploring some identified biases in medicine and ways to improve patient outcomes. Ms. Lanier has been a standardized patient/gynecological model turned GTA trainer in Portland Oregon for over 12 years, primarily working for Oregon Health Sciences University. She received her classical acting training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and improvisation training from Paul Sills at his Wisconsin farm. Lanier is currently Co-Artistic Director of Original Practice Shakespeare Festival (OPS Fest) in Portland Oregon. As co GTA trainer at OHSU, Ms. Lanier works to improve patient care through GTA methodology.

Tru Chatelain is currently the GTA/MUTA and Standardized Patient Program Manager in Simulation at Oregon Health & Science University. Ms. Chatelain established the first GTA/MUTA program at OHSU in January 2018, dismantling the former medical model program and empowering those that teach with their bodies. The transition from a medical model program to GTA/MUTA has been a transformational experience for leaners, faculty and Teaching Associates. Ms. Chatelain’s work passion for consistency and respectful collaborations continues to drive new and innovative solutions. Her foresight in bringing GTA MUTA independent instruction to Oregon will positively impact the way in which learners access this critical information and in turn, how they will interact with their patients.

At 2:30 three different program directors from different areas of the United States will co-present a program on the challenges and triumphs of small scale GTA MUTA programs. Lee Ann Miller EdD, CHSE; Rachel Older BS; Chelsea Knutson MSN, BS, RN, CNE, CA-SANE all co-lead this presentation.

Lee Ann Miller is the Assistant Director for Education and Evaluation at STEPS (Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety), West Virginia University Health Sciences and coordinates the Standardized Patient (SP) program. Dr. Miller is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator and has background in Educational Psychology, Instructional Design & Technology. Her program not only works to ensure high quality simulation education, but also recruits and trains individuals for teaching the gynecological and male urological exams as well as Standardized Physical Exam Teaching Associates. Dr. Miller is a member of the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE), the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSIH), a former participant of the Mountaineer Leadership Academy, and a graduate of Teaching Scholars Program.

Rachel Older is Program Manager of the simulation team at Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine working with resident physicians as well as medical, physician assistant, and nursing students. Ms. Older works closely with faculty and staff in Mt. Pleasant and Saginaw to create and implement simulation activities to enhance educational outcomes. Since joining the team in 2014, she has become a Basic Life Support Instructor, Scrub Trainer, and teaching assistant for physical exams, suturing and vital signs. She was a presenter for ASPE’s “SP Telecommunication During the Covid-19 Pandemic” webinar last April, which highlighted her simulation lab’s adaptation to remote learning. Rachel believes in the idea of life-long learning and values being a part of the College of Medicine in preparing students to do just that.

Chelsea Knutson brings nine years of simulation experience to the panel. She began her journey as a standardized patient and went on to earn her certification as a Gynecologic Teaching Associate (GTA) and a GTA Trainer. While completing her BSN, she served as Disaster Day Incident Commander, directing and overseeing core leadership in the planning and implementation of large-scale disaster simulation for College of Nursing, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine. After working in the emergency department as a registered nurse and later charge nurse, Ms. Knutson returned to academia as a simulation coordinator. She developed the Male Urogenital Teaching Associate (MUTA) program curriculum and trained the inaugural group of MUTAs with the help of a colleague. She then developed the Physical Examination Teaching Associate (PETA) program and went on to manage all three of these programs across five campuses. She then took on the role of Assistant Director of the Bryan Clinical Learning Resource Center, managing, planning, and creating simulation education experiences across disciplines of nursing, medicine, and pharmacy. In the fall of 2019, she was offered a position as Program Manager for Forensic Outreach at the Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing at Texas A&M University College of Nursing and has been a key member of several forensic nursing projects and grants at Texas A&M. Her primary role at Texas A&M is to facilitate SANE education through the use of simulation involving GTAs and MUTAs.

Finally, at 6:00pm two exceptional days of presentations conclude with an excellent workshop on inclusion of transgender GTAs and FTAs in clinical skills labs for sexual assault training. The presentation, Opening the Door to Utilizing the Transgender Population in Your Clinical Skills Labs by Liana Hill MSC, RN, RSCN, FNE, SANE-A, SANE-P, and Richard Claflin BA. (To read about Mr. Claflin, please take a look at yesterday’s blog to meet Day 1 presenters https://gtamuta.org/meet-our-presenters-day-1-igma-conference/.) IGMA is honored to have participation in this presentation from three of the only five transgender forensic teaching associates in the world, Mani Blunt, Nash Davidson and Charlene Moss.

Liana Hill is both a Forensic Nurse and the Forensic Nurse Examiner Program Director for Crisis Services of North Alabama, sponsor of our Conference through providing Continuing Education hours for participants. Ms. Hill’s program began in the mid 90’s providing examinations to Sexual Assault victims, in 2004 Mrs. Hill began the first Domestic Violence Nurse Examiner program in the State of Alabama. Under her guidance and passion, the program has expanded services to include child physical abuse, domestic violence strangulation, elder abuse and suspect examinations to assist in civil and criminal cases and provide medical care to patients who often are unfamiliar with services that are available to them in the community. Ms. Hill is one of four nurses in Alabama that holds both her SANE-Adult/Adolescent and SANE-Pediatric certifications. In 2019 her program became the first in country to have its SANE-Adult/Adolescent, SANE-Pediatric, combined SANE-A/P and Skills Labs approved by the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) in the nation. Ms. Hill was also the first SANE program in the country to train transgender Forensic Teaching Associates for her in-house GTA program. She continues to be a leader in the field of sexual assault forensic examination.

These are our presenters for Day 2 of the conference. IGMA is very lucky to be able to welcome this prestigious panel of speakers to its first annual conference. It is literally only $30 to attend the entire day’s events, and CE hours are provided for nurses. This is an event you will not want to miss. Check in tomorrow to meet the presenters for Day 2 of the IGMA conference. The link for conference information and registration is https://events.gtamuta.org/ See you all there

Meet Our Presenters Day 1 IGMA Conference

Starting at 9:00am, IGMA President, Isle Polonko, will address attendees and offer information about the conference and IGMA’s first year in existence. Ms. Polonko has over 30 years in the field of GTA MUTA and has spent much of her career developing new and innovative ways to include GTA MUTA methodology in training future health care providers, including training of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, (SANEs). This conference is the culmination of a great deal of hard work for the IGMA Conference Committee and Board of Directors and Ms. Polonko is extremely proud to be a part of the exceptional work this organization is doing.

At 10:00, Eileen Allen, MSN, RN, FN-CSA, SANE-A, SANE-P, Richard Claflin and Samantha Maloney will present GTAs and FNE Students: Perfect Together. This presentation explores use of GTAs in Forensic Nurse Examiner programming. Eileen Allen has trained forensic nurse examiners internationally and has, in collaboration with Ms. Polonko, been developing protocol in the field for best practices for use of GTAs, MUTAs and simulation in forensic nurse examiner training. She has presented workshops and lectures across the United States and internationally, has co-authored several publications and is a recognized leader in the field of forensic nurse examiner training.

Richard Claflin is the Director of Clinical Practice Resources and is a recognized leader in the field of anxiety free exam training. He has developed the only Train the Trainer MUTA curriculum in existence and has set up numerous MUTA programs across the United States. Mr. Claflin recently presented a poster presentation at the 2020 ASPiH conference and has a subsequent publication. He is also lectured extensively including presentations across the United States on transgender awareness and use of GTA MUTA methodology to address health care concerns specific to this population. https://stel.bmj.com/content/6/Suppl_1/A24.2

Samantha Maloney is the Director of Curriculum Development at Clinical Practice Resources and the group’s lead out-of-state trainer. Ms. Maloney has written the latest installment of the GTA Train the Trainer curriculum and has presented at numerous conferences nationally about GTA methodology, transgender awareness and use of GTAs to meet the needs of marginalized populations.

At noon there is a lunchtime roundtable discussion that will include information on GTA MUTA methodology during the pandemic.

At 1:30, Juliana de Oliveira Musse Silva, PhD, MSPH, RN-BC, Rebeca Vieira and Wesley Augusto de Jesus Santo, RN will lead a presentation on the first ever GTA program in Brazil in conjunction with the country’s first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program. They will share their experiences about bringing the first program to the region and talk about their challenges and successes. Dr. Musse is a pioneer in the field having brought both the first Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program AND the first GTA program to her country. Since that time, she has accomplished a number of wonderful successes including training additional SANEs, starting her own business to support those in the medical field and presenting at several conferences. Both the SANE and GTA programs she founded are still running successfully. There is currently an article about the project being reviewed for international publication.

Rebeca Vieira is the lead GTA trainer with Dr. Musse’s program and while still in nursing school has managed to successfully lead the Brazil GTAs at their University. She is an inspiration and is hoping to bring GTA work to a number of other facilities across Brazil. Wesley Augusto de Jesus Santo is a nurse in the region and acted as the translator for the original program. He will manage the MUTA program when it is established in Brazil and will speak about what it was like to experience the program as an observer to the grueling work the women training as GTAs experienced.

Finally, Day 1 of the conference ends with a two-part presentation addressing racism in health care and use of simulation and GTA methodology to combat it. The first part of the presentation, Strategies for Addressing Racism and Promoting Health Equity in Healthcare Education, will be presented by Kellie Bryant, DNP, WHNP, CHSE, Executive Director of Simulation and Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing’s Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center. Dr. Bryant’s prolific work in the field has not only had a positive impact through raising awareness around this critical issue but has begun to make significant inroads through consistent and creative outreach. In addition to her work at Columbia University, Dr. Bryant sits on a number of simulation boards and organizes symposiums and conferences addressing racism in healthcare and use of simulation to meet the challenges inherent racism presents.

Part 2, Looking Back to Change the Future: How GTAs Use an Anti-oppression Framework to Change Medical Practice, will be co-presented by Lauren Mitchell, M.S., Ph.D, and Sopé (Show-pay) Willoughby, MLS(ASCP)^CM, MPH. Dr. Mitchell worked for over a decade in live patient simulation and GTA methodology and is now Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Director of Narrative Medicine at the TCU and UNT School of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Mitchell worked at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, where she was co-manager of NYU’s Reproductive Family Planning Service/Ryan Program, and was the founding director of The Doula Project, the country’s first formalized full-spectrum (birth, abortion, adoption, and miscarriage) doula program.

Sopé is Baltimore based GTA, with a focus on strengthening her community through personal empowerment. With a Masters Degree in Public Health, it is incredibly important to her that communities are emotionally, physically and spiritually healthy. Training is her primary mode of implementing that change. Through her work as a GTA, she is able to tangibly improve patient outcomes by equipping care providers to see their patients holistically, with respect and autonomy. Together, Dr. Mitchell and Ms. Willoughby will explore ways that the use of GTA methodology can affect positive change and address this critical issue of racism in medicine.

These are our presenters for Day 1 of the conference. IGMA is very lucky to be able to welcome this prestigious panel of speakers to its first annual conference. It is literally only $30 to attend the entire day’s events, and CE hours are provided for nurses. This is an event you will not want to miss. Check in tomorrow to meet the presenters for Day 2 of the IGMA conference. The link for conference information and registration is https://events.gtamuta.org/ See you all there!

IGMA First Annual Conference December 5 & 6, 2020

The International GTA MUTA Association (IGMA) is hosting it’s first international conference, Voices of Success: Global Partnerships Creating Excellence in Health Care Through GTA/MUTA Education. IGMA is the only organization dedicated solely to GTA MUTA methodology and while we are still in our infancy, just over a year old, we have accomplished some extraordinary things; not the least of which is the organization and planning of our first annual conference. The IGMA conference will be held virtually over the course of two days, December 5 and 6 and will host seven presentations and 22 speakers from four countries, the United States, Turkey, Brazil and Canada. Our speakers hail from active grassroots organizations and prestigious Universities like Columbia, Texas A&M, West Virginia University, Hacettepe University, Tiradentes University, Oregon Health and Science University, Central Michigan University as well as many others.

The cost to attend the conference is minimal and can be broken up into attendance at single workshop or all presentations one or both days. It is only $30 a day to attend all events or $20 to attend a single presentation. In addition to the presentations, (a list of all presentations and links to each of the abstracts is included below), there will be a lunchtime roundtable discussion on Saturday about GTA/MUTA education during the pandemic. On Sunday morning, attendees will hear from IGMA’s Committee Chairs and at lunchtime there will be a lifetime achievement award presentation and a video montage of a number of people who have made significant contributions to the field. Take a look at these exceptional topics:

Opening the Door to Utilizing the Transgender Population in Your Clinical Skills Labs
Liana Hill MSC, RN, RSCN, FNE, SANE-A, SANE-P, Richard Claflin BA; Mani Blunt, Nash Davidson and Charlene Moss

Strategies for Addressing Racism and Promoting Health Equity in Healthcare Education
Kellie Bryant DNP, WHNP, CHSE

Using Best Practices for Simulated Exam Training to Improve Forensic Medical Examinations
Eileen Allen MSN, RN, FN-CSA, SANE-A, SANE-P; Samantha Maloney; Richard Claflin BA

The Experience of Founding the First GTA Program in Brazil to Train Nurses Examining Victims of Sexual Violence
Juliana Musse PhD, MPH, SANE, Rebeca Vieira RN, GTA; Wesley Augusto de Jesus Santos RN

Looking Back to Change the Future: How GTAs use an anti-oppression framework to change medical practice
Mosopefoluwa (Sope’) Willoughby, MLS(ASCP)^CM, MPH, Lauren Mitchell, PhD, MS

Introducing the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) GTA/MUTA Standards of Best Practice (SOBP)
Holly Hopkins DNP, CNM; Chelsea Weaks Med, BSN; Tim Webster MEd, Melih Elcin MD

Unconscious Bias in GTA Exams
Jennifer Lanier, Tru Chatelain AAS

Small Scale GTA/MUTA Programs: the Challenges and Triumphs
Lee Ann Miller EdD, CHSE; Rachel Older BS; Chelsea Knutson MSN, BS, RN, CNE, CA-SANE

Continuing Education hours will be offered to attend the conference. IGMA is grateful to have partnered with Crisis Services of North Alabama in order to provide the CE hours. We are also grateful to our sponsors, Clinical Practice Resources for Training and Education, Solvit LLC, Clinical Skills USA and Rori Baldari. The conference would not be able to move forward without your help, support and your belief in the work that we do.

For those of you who are not familiar, GTAs, MUTAs and FTAs are more than Standardized Patients, they are instructors. These men and women instruct medical students from the patient’s perspective in a patient empowerment methodology focused on patient centered care. Medical students and other health care learners receive standardized, step by step instruction in an anxiety free atmosphere creating an optimum learning environment so that all aspects of the exam can be best absorbed and retained long after clinical rotation. This methodology is the gold standard of training invasive exam procedures but the training includes much more than clinical exam technique instruction. Learners are taught how to to interact with their patients so there is strong focus on patient education and communication. And, GTA/MUTA education has moved beyond well patient training to include involvement in sexual assault forensic evidence instruction through participation in SANE/SAFE, (Sexual Assault Nurse/Forensic Examiner) training. These men and women provide high quality instruction on the forensic evidence collection kit and are in a unique position to provide critical information on trauma informed care from the survivor’s perspective. Additionally, inclusion of marginalized populations, such as transgender and gender non-binary persons, in both trauma and well patient care has been a growing component of this work.

Come support our organization and our esteemed speakers who are donating their time and expertise to this event. Consider becoming an IGMA member. Our membership dues are nominal and anyone that joins the organization before the conference receives founding member status and FREE entry to the conference, including all presentations and conference events. Visit www.gtamuta.org for more information or email admin@gtamuta.org. This is one event you will not want to miss. See you there!

Virtual GTA Review Session at West Virginia University

For the past six weeks, the International GTA MUTA Association, IGMA, has been hosting panel discussions for professionals in the field of GTA MUTA education. The goal of these meetings has been to explore the needs of those working in the field, both current and long term, and initiate dialogue, especially in light of the current crisis. The topic of discussion and scrutiny over these past three meetings has been around the possibility of conducting virtual GTA sessions in order to respond to the needs of medical schools as they try to meet requirements for their learners in this area. Standardized patient sessions have been moved to virtual platforms in all areas including physical examination. Many GTA MUTA program directors have also been asked about the possibility of conducting GTA MUTA labs in virtual settings. The resounding response from those working in the field is that this is not possible given the parameters of invasive examination techniques, and indeed, would ultimately not be beneficial.

The concerns centered around several key issues. GTA MUTA programming has always had at the forefront, the goal of reducing student anxiety during examinations that are extremely anxiety provoking. Additionally, the reality is that it is not possible without extensive 3-D modeling and computer programming, which does not exist for urogenital examination currently, to instruct on key elements such as palpation pressure and location of internal organs. While basic clinical examination palpation technique could be taught virtually, it would be impossible to assess the success of its application virtually, ie; did the learner maintain contact with the patient’s skin or move only a finger to a finger and a half’s distance between palpations, without the techniques being conducted on a live simulated patient. Therefore, it was deemed by the professionals in the field that for novice, first time learners, this would simply not be possible.

However, West Virginia University (WVU), under the direction of medical director, Dorian Williams, MD and program director, Lee Ann Miller, EdD, with the assistance of Kristie McVicker, Lead GTA Trainer, did have a virtual program scheduled for learners at their institution. Dr. Miller did agree that virtual GTA MUTA labs would not work for first time learners, however, WVU had requested that virtual sessions be conducted for third year students about to enter into Ob-GYN rotation as a review. The parameters for these virtual sessions were such that learners would have previously needed to have attended the face to face GTA sessions that had been conducted for the student population in second year. Each of the students would have had the specialized training that only a face to face session with a simulated patient instructor would be able to provide. They would have learned appropriate pressure, correct examination techniques and procedures and location of internal organs. The review sessions then, would include a review of all patient education and communication protocols as well as a review of the order of examination techniques and a verbal “walk-through” of a patient encounter from introduction to conclusion. There were five medical students scheduled to enter third year Ob/Gyn rotation. The five students would be divided into one group of two and one group of three and would virtually meet with a GTA. Dr. Miller informed the IGMA panel of the project at the April 17th meeting and was to report on programmatic outcome at the following IGMA meeting.

The May 1 IGMA meeting was approximately one week after the pilot program was conducted at West Virginia University. Dr. Miller reported that evaluations were filled out by the learners after attending their sessions with the GTA and that the evaluations showed a very positive response to the virtual sessions by the learners. Both GTAs and students utilized images of female genitalia as students talked through a gynecologic session. The students were able to practice verbal communication skills and provide patient education information to the GTA during the virtual session and were given feedback on these skills. It was reported that as a review, it seemed to work very well and that the University was looking to continue these virtual GTA review sessions as long as face to face sessions continued to be shelved during the pandemic.

Others on the call expressed concern that program administrators at other major institutions might decide to switch from face to face sessions to these virtual sessions permanently which would be contradictory to the goals and objectives of GTA and MUTA programming. There is simply no virtual replacement for sessions where the person on the table is both the instructor and the patient. This unique situation provides learners with an incomparable experience where they receive immediate feedback and step by step instruction in a quality controlled environment where critical elements of physical contact, palpation and examination of internal organs are disseminated to novice learners. Indeed the original intent of this kind of programming when Robert Kretzschmar, MD developed the first pilot program in the late 1960s to address the poor education medical students were receiving in gynecologic clinical examination skills, was to markedly improve student learning via step by step instruction and immediate feedback by a new version of standardized patient who was both the patient AND instructor. The benefits of GTA and MUTA programming has been well documented over the course of these decades and concerns that should virtual GTA MUTA sessions become accepted as an alternative, the methodology would in fact be regressing.

Dr. Miller responded to these concerns by explaining that administrators at West Virginia University fully supported the GTA program as it exists and this was developed in response to needs of the university to provide some manner of review of these techniques for their students. Other attendees expressed interest in additional information as their universities were also requesting information on virtual review sessions. All the GTA MUTA professionals in attendance on the call agreed however, that for novice learners experiencing GTA or MUTA sessions for the first time, virtual learning is not possible.

Kudos to Dr. Williams and Dr. Miller for sharing their unique program with IGMA members. It is a question that has come up with fair frequency recently as institutions deal with closures caused by the current pandemic. The response by West Virginia University was timely and generated interesting and important dialogue on the subject. If you would like to be a part of these discussions and to be a part of the only professional organization formed exclusively to meet the needs of professionals in the field of GTA MUTA programming, send an email to admin@GTAMUTA.org. You will receive a response from a member of the IGMA Board of Directors with the login information for our next call. The future of GTA MUTA programming is impacted by the work we do in the field. Be a part of the future of this work and make your voice heard.

GTA MUTA Programming in Action: IGMA to host panel discussion for professionals in the field

Questions about GTA MUTA programming arise with fair frequency. Common inquiries about topics from recruitment and hiring protocols to pay, clinical space and programmatic recommendations are asked in a number of forums and interest groups. Since there are a variety of methods currently in use for GTA MUTA programming and several specialty fields where this type of education is utilized, it is critical for program directors, coordinators and trainers to have access to information. As the only professional association exclusively for professionals in the field of GTA MUTA methodology, IGMA is hosting a series of panel discussions so that professionals in the field can network with colleagues, obtain information and provide support to new programs just starting up.

This Friday, April 3, 2020 at 11:00 am and this Saturday, April 4, 2020 at noon, IGMA will host a one hour Zoom Room panel discussion each day. Attending are directors of long time programs who have been involved since inception as well as directors new to the field. Both private GTA MUTA companies and educational institutions that house onsite GTA MUTA programs are invited to attend. If you would like to participate, please send an email to admin@gtamuta.org and IGMA administration will forward the Zoom Room logon information. Be sure to include the day you would like to attend. The panel is completely free of charge and all are welcome.

We would love to hear about how your program started, if you source your instructors out to other programs and we’d love to know what you’re proud of about the work that you are doing in the field. Also, if you have any questions about protocol, program startup, programmatic implementation or anything else, please feel free to include those questions in your email to IGMA. We will make sure we get to everyone’s questions during the panel.

We know the current situation has caused institutions to temporarily close and therefore, given the hands-on nature of this work, that most GTA MUTA programs have also been put on hold. This does however, provide opportunities for planning and restructuring as well as networking opportunities as we chart unknown courses to ride out this storm. The Board of IGMA acknowledges the bravery and dedication of each of our institution’s direct care workers and first responders and holds wishes for the safety and health of everyone as we support one another through this difficult time. We look forward to connecting with you.