A group of College of Medicine students are preparing to become the best future physicians possible. Jordan Johnson, president of Students Interested in Patient Safety and Risk Management, explains why an interest group like this is important to students.
Tell us about SIPSAR.
JJ: We a relatively new group; this is actually only our second year as a NEOMED student organization! The group was created to analyze, discuss and advocate for increased awareness around patient safety. This is important now when we are medical students, and it will be even more so when we are practicing clinicians. Minimizing risks to our patients at all times is an important part of practice, so being conscious of this now and discussing where issues can arise will help prepare us for this critical task of patient care.
Students will find that SIPSAR is a group focused on improving our practices in the future by exposing members to modern-day issues and cases centered in patient care.
What inspired the creation of SIPSAR?
JJ: We’re thinking ahead. Most of us have heard of cases on the news and in classes over the years where a health care professional has made a mistake that came at the cost of a patient's life. Mistakes do happen, but thinking critically about them now may help us cultivate the skills necessary to prevent this from happening to us during our careers.
What kind of activities do you plan to host this upcoming year?
As has been alluded to, most of the activities SIPSAR organizes are focused around case studies and discussing the multifaceted issues within those cases. We plan to host several discussions that will take place in a group setting, most likely with one or two moderators, both faculty and students alike. Along with case studies, we plan to reach out to physicians and health care professionals in our area for real-life clinical examples of their choosing.
Although we are a newer organization, I believe that students will find the events we host throughout the year to be applicable to the clinic setting.