Improve to Save Lives: Rectifying Flaws with

Medical Training
Connor Shin
Advisor: Lucas Huang
Supervisor: Melissa Kiehl
Introduction
There are numerous flaws and drawbacks within the procedures used for training doctors,
in regards to their effectiveness, their implementation, and the length of time needed to apply
them in actual hospital environments. A problem stems from these shortcomings, which is the
decline in the reliability of seemingly well-trained doctors. Another issue arises with those who
have gotten incorrect training methods, which leads to doctors who unwittingly harm their
patients due to learning the wrong techniques. The purpose of this study is to address these
complications and to discover a solution to rectify the hurdles presented in efficiently and
effectively training doctors for their challenging work.

Review of Literature
There are numerous flaws and drawbacks within the procedures used for training doctors,
in regards to their effectiveness, their implementation, and the length of time needed to apply
them in actual hospital environments. A problem stems from these shortcomings, which is the

decline in the reliability of seemingly well-trained doctors. Another issue arises with those who
have received incorrect training methods, which leads to doctors unwittingly harming their
patients due to learning the wrong techniques. Given the importance of the medical field in
saving the lives of countless people around the world, such shortfalls cannot continue to plague
doctors and their operating systems. The purpose of this study is to address the legitimacy of
improving these complications with a reasonable amount of time and effort, and to discover a
solution to rectify the hurdles presented in efficiently and effectively training doctors for their
challenging work.
After completing research both online and via printed sources, it was realized that a
recurring theme was the importance of training doctors to the correct standard. Quite a large
share of stories regarding unfortunate incidents in relation to improper medical training was
found, as well. It was confirmed through Lucas Huang, a project mentor, that improper
foundations does lead to detrimental consequences, as the doctor prepared in that manner will
assume that the way they were taught is in fact the correct method. There was much discussion
on ways to address improper training or work ethic, and it turns out that major obstacles in the
advancement of training revision comes from both political and financial reasons. From an
administrative perspective, any new or improved training imperative will not be implemented
easily, given the number of people needed to both give the experiment a go-ahead and to test it in
the first place. The amount of red tape that snags similarly-minded ideas will also have an effect
on any attempts to pass new training technology, due to the amount of restrictions, regulations,
and requirements that constitutes a legitimate research operation. And such a project requires a
very challenging balance with finances, with consideration needed for fund sourcing, budget
restraints, and cost for mass-distribution (should the entire deal be approved). Huang suggested

that there was definitely room for improvement in operations today, but there is still the need to
evaluate how long such improvement would take, and whether or not the amount of time needed
would be for a conversely effective gain. There is a need to extrapolate likely trends in the effect
of proper and improper training on actual hospital performance, and discover a way to
circumvent the current hurdles to advancing medical training in an effective and efficient
manner. The success of the project depends on whether or not such an improvement over the
current training procedures of today can be made in the first place, and whether or not such a
plan could be implemented in an efficient and succinct time frame.
The most basic aspect of training doctors is to ensure their training is satisfactory to begin
with. It is an essential cornerstone of a doctors work ethic, and when it is not properly
implemented, it can lead to major ramifications against both the operating doctor and the party
responsible for training. From a logical standpoint, it is human nature to strictly adhere to any
mentoring or training no matter what, even if it is incorrect or unsatisfactory. As with the general
public, doctors are no different psychologically, and doctors who are trained the wrong way will
believe it is the correct way to do things for the entirety of their work. (Huang, 2016) Any sort
of mishap involving improper training can lead to very serious consequences against the trainer.
The responsible party may either be placed on a probationary period, as in the case of the
University of Chicago (Japsen, 2009), or even tried in a criminal court, in the case of an abusive
military contractor (Vozzella, 2015). In some cases, there is no illegal activity so much as
controversial conduct, such as (in one strange instance) the usage of trainees themselves in live
medical demonstrations (New York Times, 2015). Mistrust can form in the wake of these
incidents, as trainees are willing to testify against their mentors upon realization that their faith in
their teachers were misplaced. The way that such a scenario can spiral out of control in this

manner is completely unacceptable in an environment as important as medicine, and needs to be

rectified starting with the source.
While proper medical education from the beginning is the best way to prevent problems
later on, improvements can also be made during any subsequent on-the-job training. Recording
any errors made is an effective way to exhibit to doctors what needs to be improved upon, as it is
human nature to attempt correcting those mistakes immediately.
When doctors are shown their recorded errors, most of them try to improve their
performance, according to Huang, who develops medical recording devices for the express
purpose of teaching doctors on how to improve their techniques. In most cases, doctors make
consistent mistakes, simply because no one has ever corrected them in the first place.
Consequently, recording doctors in action has experienced a rise in usage, as it is a cost-effective
and efficient way to find shortfalls and mistakes in medical operations.
There is one interesting issue that still needs to be addressed, and it is purely caused by
doctors peers. According to Nick Boyles article, Surgeons Training Under the Knife,
experienced doctors are often reluctant to partner with novice colleagues, owing to the fear that
their inexperience will prove costly in the field. Conversely, veteran medical personnel would
also feel more at ease if their newer fellows were known to be well-trained and reliable (Boyle,
2004). It is only natural that more experienced workers want to place their trust in up-andcoming comrades; should that trust be well-founded, it can lead to better work ethic and
coordination between doctors, regardless of their level of experience. Ease of communication is
an essential part of the operating room, and even more important when combined with welltrained doctors (Secemsky, 2015). Should both variables be used in unison, it would lead to a
tremendous improvement in performance over a more mediocre work environment.

One benefit current training procedures cannot offer is the simulation of actual emotional
stimuli. Undertaking an operation is taxing on the psyche of those performing it, and has a direct
influence in how doctors react to the ever-changing environment of medical procedures
(Weintraub, 2015). What is currently being studied with interest is possible ways to simulate the
stress of performing operations on living beings, without the need of either using unwilling
human volunteers such as the aforementioned trainee situation or actually placing the lives of
animals at risk. Training on live animals has actually been shown to be successful to a fault, as
shown by what the United States Marines have done by using pigs to simulate battlefield
casualties (Perry, 2009). This method is both antiquated, inhumane, and inefficient, albeit one
that actually stresses the soldiers to work as if they were operating on their own comrades.
Therefore, a balance must be made to combine the cleanliness and effectiveness of modern
medical training technology with the emotional factor of operating on test animals.
A sign of what changing times can accomplish can be seen with just one of the myriad
fields of medical operations. Neurosurgery, as evidenced by its remarkable improvement over the
course of less than a century, is a perfect example of what change can accomplish. From the time
a Yale doctor by the name of Harvey Cushing made the first advancements in surgical techniques
on the brain, the field has expanded and grown into an effective and well-equipped part of
medicine, with new technology being developed on a consistent basis (Epstein, 2010). However,
it is acknowledged by the same article that there is still room for improvement, even in a field as
reliable and effective as neurosurgery. Should this project discover a solution to the problem in
question, it can lead to even greater advances in the field of medicine, as every doctor will be
able and trusted to execute their duties to the right standard. Such a solution is definitely within

the realm of possibility, and is able to be implemented with the resources that are currently
available now.

References
Boyle, N. (2004, July 27). Surgeons training under the knife. The Telegraph. Retrieved 3
December 2015 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/3308994/Surgeonstraining-under-the-knife.html
Epstein, R. (2010, August 23). Inside Neurosurgerys Rise. The New York Times. Retrieved 19
Sept. 2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/health/24brain.html?_r=0
Japsen, B. (2009, July 2). University of Chicago neurosurgery training program put on probation.
Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 January 2016 from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/200907-02/news/0907010687_1_accreditation-council-graduate-medical-education-trainingprogram
L. Huang, personal communication, January 10, 2016
Perry, T. (2009, August 10). Marines enlist pigs to aid in medical training for troops. Los Angeles
Times. Retrieved 17 Oct. 2015 from http://articles.latimes.com/2009/aug/10/local/mepigs10

Secemsky, B. (2015, January 16). Breaking it down: the end of medical training. HuffPost
Healthy Living, Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 Nov. 2015 from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-secemsky/breaking-it-down-the-end_b_6481290.html
Vozzella, L. (2015, June 19). Military contractor loses medical license following training abuses.
The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 Nov. 2015 from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/army-medical-students-testifythat-they-were-abused-by-medical-trainer/2015/06/19/17c7d042-1611-11e5-9ddce3353542100c_story.html
Weintraub, K. (2015, November 9). Artificial patients, real learning. The New York Times.
Retrieved 13 January 2016 from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/health/heartsurgery-simulation-medical-training.html?_r=0

(2015, June 12). When playing a patient is part of the training. The New York Times. Retrieved 14
January 2016 from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/13/opinion/when-playing-a-patient-is-partof-the-training.html