Instruction and methodology

medical student 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.)

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!