Walsall students are on a high after completing an interactive medical simulation that saw them putting their skills to the test on an imaginary flight.

Fifth year medical students on placement at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust were part of the “fun and memorable” training session at the Manor Hospital Learning and Conference Centre.

The session was organised by the Undergraduate Medical Education Team (UMET.

The training created extremely difficult scenarios for those in attendance, who will all be starting their first roles as qualified staff this time next year. The on-board emergencies included: a birth, a heart attack, a panic attack and a seizure.

Liam Manley, Lead Clinical Teaching Fellow, said: “This session has been designed to take the students out of their comfort zones.

“The situations are stretching reality and have been quite chaotic, however making this teaching fun and memorable really helps the students to engage. It also reminds them of the part they play in overwhelming circumstances such as these.”

Cameron Kendall works alongside Liam as Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow.

He said: “We don’t like to have a rigid plan when we organise training days like this.

“The session is invaluable for teamwork and prioritisation – the students will need to be the first person there in these real-life situations in the future, so it teaches some great skills.”

It was the last week of placement for many of the students, including Sophie Bridgewater, who has spent her time in Paediatrics.

She said: “I have found today really fun and unique. It’s been great to be with students from other specialties and see how we all reacted to the scenarios.

“Having been based at Walsall before, I was very excited to come back, and I have really enjoyed my placement. The UMET is brilliant.”

Andy Tams, UMET Manager, oversaw the running of the day.

He said: “The team has worked so hard putting this training together, and they always go above and beyond for our students.

“The session has been a huge success and we have already received such positive feedback.

“We have been called the ‘gold standard’ by students, which makes me really proud of the team.”