Eighteen months into his role as director of the Segment 2 Clinical Skills Course at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Daniel DeWeert, M.D., was selected for the Advancing Simulation Career and Empowering Next Generation Development, or ASCEND, a new initiative by the Society for Simulation in Health Care designed to identify, support and develop early-career health care simulationists with exceptional leadership potential. 

In his role, Dr. DeWeert works closely with the School of Medicine and Kado Family Clinical Skills Center teams, clerkship directors and guest faculty, fourth-year medical student near-peer assessors, and standardized patients to prepare second-year medical students for clerkships through specialty-specific simulated patient encounters in which they practice history-taking, focused physical exams, bedside ultrasound and select procedures, notewriting and oral presentations. 

Dr. DeWeert, who completed medical school at the University of Iowa and emergency medicine residency at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Illinois, joined Henry Ford Health six years ago, where he has contributed to the stroke and ethics committees, was the assistant director of emergency ultrasound at Fairlane, co-directed the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians yearly In-training Exam review course for residents around the state, and is an Advanced Trauma Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support instructor.  Simulations and procedure practice are key aspects of emergency medicine, he said.  At WSU, he initially volunteered as a guest faculty member for the Segment 2 Clinical Skills Course. 

He was nominated for ASCEND by Kado Family Clinical Skills Director Erin Miller, M.D., and Associate Director of Education Simone Brennan, Ph.D. 

“Dan's enthusiasm for clinical skills education is palpable. As an Emergency Medicine doctor, he brings the requisite generalist mindset along with a commitment to enhancing curricula that is relevant and foundational to learners in their second year of medical education,” Dr. Brennan said. “He has far exceeded expectations in recruiting much-needed guest faculty to support students as they rotate through clinical skills practice sessions. He works effectively with standardized patients and demonstrates complete respect for their unique perspective within our educational team.” 

We talked to Dr. DeWeert about his enthusiastic dive into the art of simulation training at WSU, the advantages of having the Kado Clinical Skills Center within the School of Medicine, and how he feels to have been recognized for leadership potential in the simulation field. 

Question: What are the advantages of simulation training being used to educate Wayne State medical students versus what other medical schools may use? 

Answer: Kado Clinical Skills Center has state-of-the-art equipment to meet any educational objective, but I think where Wayne really stands out is the community of people who create an effective learning environment. We have hundreds of guest faculty from many specialties and institutions who teach physical exam and procedures but are also available for mentoring and networking, excellent standardized patients who are highly engaged and invested in our educational mission, and fourth-year near-peer instructors and assessors who encourage students before clerkships. 

Q: What type of technology are you using? 

A: In addition to standardized patients, and depending on the objectives of each session, we use a variety of tools such as task trainers specific to various physical exam maneuvers or procedures, mannequins, and high-fidelity simulators. We also have new ultrasound machines and a new advanced ultrasound simulator. 

Q: How do you feel to have received the ASCEND award? 

A: I’m extremely thankful for the mentorship and encouragement I have gotten here at Wayne and see this opportunity as a great way to learn from the broader medical education and simulation community. The Wayne State University School of Medicine is dedicated to continuous improvement and giving students the best education possible, and this opportunity will directly help me contribute to that mission. 

Q: When does the Segment 2 Clinical Skills Course run? 

A: Clinical Skills 2 runs from May to December each year. Each month has a variety of learning objectives centered around a specific clerkship and a specific focused physical examination. We practice history-taking, communication through oral presentations and note-writing, and clinical reasoning. Some months we have additional skills sessions for point-of-care ultrasound and procedures. The goal is for students to learn high-yield and transferrable skills that will help them hit the ground running when they start each clerkship by being able to contribute to the care team right away, taking advantage of all learning and patient-care opportunities. 

Q: What do you like about teaching the course? 

A: The pre-clerkship years during medical school can be hard, and students generally don't get the whole positive experience of patient care. At Wayne, the clinical skills and reasoning we are able to integrate into the pre-clerkship curriculum is highly beneficial. I love that we’re able to create a formative, supportive learning community for students to explore many of these skills for the first time. I like to think that clinical skills days are a fun reminder of what they are working towards during their pre-clerkship years. My other favorite parts are briefly introducing each specialty and connecting students with guest faculty, discussing clinical correlations, and the procedure days. 

Q: You volunteered as a guest faculty member for the course in the past. Are you in need of guest faculty for next year? 

A: Yes! Guest faculty are a highly valued part of this course. They teach the focused physical exam sessions as well as the procedure sessions. We try to recruit as many physicians from different specialties and hospitals as possible for a given topic. It is a great opportunity for faculty to practice their teaching skills, interact with students, and represent their departments and specialties. Reach out to daniel.deweert@wayne.edu if you would like to start receiving invitations for teaching opportunities. Your time and expertise are greatly appreciated by the second-year medical students!