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Is Live Stream Medical Training Here to Stay?

Shortly after we began to realize the pervasive nature of the COVID-19 virus, many aspects of the world shifted. Not only in our daily lives within our communities but also on a grander scale. Schools closed, as did doctors’ offices, for some time. In this shift, the way in which doctors and other medical personnel would engage in continued education was in question. Fortunately, because we live in the age of technology, businesses like ours, in which the highest-quality training is our objective, were able to pivot into a new model that could sustain the needs of the medical community. Since the summer of 2020, Med Ed Labs has been providing doctors and other clients with the ability to live stream their teaching events. At the time when live streaming was a vital necessity, it was unclear how long the model would remain popular. We’re still observing. Even with vaccines and more lenient mandates in many parts of the country, the interest in live stream versus in-person events remains high. We think we know why.

Some of the beneficial aspects of live stream medical demonstrations and lectures include:

Although the term live stream indicates that attendees can observe the lecture and demonstration in real-time, they also have the opportunity to watch the provided content as a recording. Having this flexibility, the interested doctor or professional may be more likely to register for a course which, in turn, benefits the host by expanding their capacity to disperse vital medical information.
The participants of live stream events who do attend live have the opportunity to engage with the host and other attendees during the event. While training may be held online, our goal is to set up […]

March 15th, 2022|Live Streaming Training|Comments Off on Is Live Stream Medical Training Here to Stay?
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    Cadaver Training Isn’t Just for Med School Anatomy Lessons

Cadaver Training Isn’t Just for Med School Anatomy Lessons

The medical and scientific communities have historically relied on human cadavers to enhance their understanding of anatomy. Nearly every medical student visits the cadaver lab at least once. The hands-on experience has been shown, through multiple studies and papers, to expand a student’s clinical knowledge in ways that nothing else can. More recently, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, various educational institutions have leaned more toward the use of virtual anatomy simulations and training than they had in the past. Attempting to replicate a more realistic experience, some teaching institutions have used plastic models. We can see this in its most basic form in paramedic courses. While there is a place for newer technologies in the study of anatomy, physiology, and clinical or surgical techniques, we believe that they are complementary to cadaver training rather than a substitute for that experience. This holds true for first responders and experienced physicians and nurses as much as it does for med students.

What the cadaveric component of learning provides is a visual and tactile experience with real human anatomy. Professionals who participate in cadaver training are also exposed to the inherent variabilities that exist in human morphology. Equally important, cadaver training courses and labs take the conceptual experience of patient care and transform it into real-life, hands-on experience.
Dissection Skills Involve More than Anatomical Knowledge
A strong and often surprising emotional and psychological response is perhaps the most prevalent reaction to cadaver lab training. The emotional, and sometimes physical, response to the exposure to human cadavers is often what a medical student will talk about first or most as they recall their time in the lab. While some of these experiences are reported in a negative light, the […]

February 14th, 2022|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on Cadaver Training Isn’t Just for Med School Anatomy Lessons
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    Cadaver Lab Training for First Responders: Expanding the Capacity of Care

Cadaver Lab Training for First Responders: Expanding the Capacity of Care

The medical community has long believed in the value of human anatomy as an integral aspect of learning. The entire field of clinical medicine is based on hands-on care. As such, it should be conducted by professionals who are already experienced with human tissue when they set foot into the operating room or office. Likewise, first responders should also have this level of hands-on familiarity with human tissue beyond the memorization of location and biological function. According to studies, a lack of this anatomical knowledge can make it difficult to retain information related to patient care. Historically, medical institutions had required students to attend at least one cadaver lab to study anatomy. Over time, though, and across different clinical areas, including first responders, models shifted to plastic mannequins and virtual simulations. While we live in a high-tech world now, we respectfully argue that high-tech training is no substitute for authentic human tissue. Cadaver training provides students across all fields the visual and tactile experience they need to expand their capacity as clinicians.

Neither mannequins nor virtual simulations can replicate human anatomy. Numerous studies have found that healthcare professionals from surgeons to nurses to first responders demonstrate greater anatomical knowledge as a result of cadaver training. The cadaver lab extends textbook knowledge by translating it into a hands-on activity. We can only learn so much by watching and listening. We gain so much more by doing. In this way, cadaver training allows clinicians to fully integrate the techniques that they will be required to do in the field. In the area of emergency and field medicine, every minute counts. Full integration of clinical technologies and procedures can expedite the delivery of appropriate care and, at the […]

January 15th, 2022|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on Cadaver Lab Training for First Responders: Expanding the Capacity of Care
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    Cadaver Trainings Help Dentists Realize Their Dental Implant Potential

Cadaver Trainings Help Dentists Realize Their Dental Implant Potential

Dental implant training has become a more significant need in dentistry in recent years, as we have seen the rehabilitative and aesthetic benefits of this area of practice. Untrained dentists may offer dental implant treatment, but perform only the final aspect of care, seating the dental crown, bridge, or denture. We hear from an increasing number of dental professionals that they are ready to realize their dental implant potential and bring the totality of their implant services in-house. Proper training is critical to this end. Med Ed Labs has been proud to host live, hands-on cadaver training for dentists who aspire to expand not only their knowledge base but also their clinical capabilities. Now that our social-distancing issues have been addressed, we are seeing a return to in-person clinical trainings, and are excited to continue preparing and hosting live events in the area of dental implantology.

Dental implant courses equip dentists with experience via modalities such as lectures, live surgeries, and patient demonstrations. While technologies have expanded the capacity of dental professionals to virtually design smiles and create more predictable outcomes, there remains a vital role for real-life hands-on experiences that do not carry a high degree of patient risk in clinical training settings.  To manage these risks, standard one-day training sessions tend to involve hands-on exercises utilizing detailed resin or gum models that allow doctors to perform exercises in drilling, bone grafting, sinus lifts, suturing, and more. It is clear that hands-on practice builds confidence and provides professionals with the opportunity to develop and fine-tune their surgical techniques. Hands-on exercises can help to cement the knowledge gained from the lecture material but, relying only on resin models, they may fall short.

Dental implant courses can […]

December 15th, 2021|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on Cadaver Trainings Help Dentists Realize Their Dental Implant Potential

Statement from Med Ed Labs: November 3, 2021

November 3, 2021

We at Med Ed Labs respect, cherish, and appreciate the generous and thoughtful gifts of all our donors who contribute to our whole body donation program. We have utmost gratitude for the decedents’ families who entrust us with the remains of their loved ones. We utilize and treat our donors with the highest respect, care, and professionalism, including full blood serology and COVID testing understanding the importance of our donors’ precious gift to the scientific, medical, and surgical fields. We have prudently and respectfully returned the donor utilized for the anatomical dissection on October 17, 2021 to the funeral home selected by the decedent’s family and are diligently working with Portland, Oregon investigators to ensure there is no ongoing voyeurism or misrepresentation of essential anatomical training events in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. We will be cooperating with the government and industrial agencies to review existing industry-wide protocols and to make recommendations to help avoid this tragedy from recurring anywhere.

Prior to the unprecedented October 17, 2021 event, Death Science deceived us repeatedly, stating the donor they requested would be utilized solely for educational anatomical dissection instructing academic students, paramedics, and personnel within forensic pathology fields. We had absolutely no prior knowledge that any donor provided by our network of surgical facilities would be used as part of the so-called “Oddities Expo” and we were completely in the dark that people would be paying to attend a show featuring one of our donors.

At the event, a certified anatomist operating under the United States Congressional Clinical Research Enhancement Act of 1999 proceeded with the anatomical dissection on October 17, 2021 with over 40 years prior teaching experience as a professor of anatomy and physiology […]

December 9th, 2021|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Statement from Med Ed Labs: November 3, 2021

Why We Do What We Do

The medical community has been well served by the study of human cadaver tissues for many years. As new technologies have emerged, however, so have ideas that “newer is better.” In some instances this may be true. When it comes to fully understanding the human body and the various ways in which human tissue may respond to treatments, we respectfully disagree. Med Ed Labs was established with the intent of bringing physicians, first responders, medical device developers, and other relevant personnel face to face with their target, the human body. 

They say that knowledge is power. For the appropriate professional, human cadaver training offers enlightenment in a multitude of areas. Our varied trainings and cadaver lab set-ups can achieve several objectives, such as:

Optimal placement of injectables or other techniques in actual human anatomy, not virtual simulation. 
Dimensional compatibility between human anatomy and new technologies. 
Accurate spatial relationships between a device and its accessories and anatomical structures

Cadaver Labs are High-Tech and High-Touch
Historically, cadaver labs were associated with medical training in the college environment. A stint in the cadaver lab was something medical students either really looked forward to or really did not. We see the value of cadaver training far beyond general anatomy and physiology teaching. Our learning environments are hands-on and focused on both general and specialized techniques and may include interventional supplies, surgical supplies, imaging equipment, and more. In this way, we can help improve development by removing the guesswork that has been typical to some medical training. For example, using a cadaver lab, a professional does not face:

Postural and anatomical differences between animal models and the human body. 
Inaccurate representations of physiological disease states as they occur in the human body […]

November 15th, 2021|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on Why We Do What We Do

Compassion in Health Care: Does it Really Matter?

com·?pas·?sion | \ k?m-?pa-sh?n  \

: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it. 

If you have completed the extensive education required of you to become a board-certified nurse or physician, compassion may be a characteristic that you assume you have. Perhaps when you first began your educational journey, you did. Maybe you still do, or think you do. According to studies, it isn’t just a nice thing for a medical professional to be nice. It’s essential to patient outcomes. Here, we discuss what research has to say about this, and how cadaver training fits into this critical aspect of practice. 

In their book Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference,” physician-scientist team Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli discuss the various reasons why patients may choose healthcare providers based on their “vibe”of kindness over their educational background. Additionally, their extensive research proves to those who have chosen to enter the field of medicine, even first-responders, that their attitude toward their patients matters a great deal. 
Not Only Meaningful, But Measurable
The role of a healthcare provider is to diagnose and treat. Quickly. The healthcare system has become quite concerned with the bottom line. Treat patients so they do not  over-use healthcare services. This approach to healthcare may be far out of alignment with exceptional caring. It may also be backfiring. A review of case studies has shown that patients who had compassionate, patient-centered care accrued approximately 50 percent lower medical expenses, and were less likely to use excessive healthcare services than patients whose doctors were somewhat impersonal. 

Impersonal could be the attribute assigned to a healthcare provider suffering from depersonalization. One one hand, seeing patients as objects rather than  human beings could be […]

October 15th, 2021|Medical Education, Wellness and Health|Comments Off on Compassion in Health Care: Does it Really Matter?
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    Medical Schools are Shifting to Post-Pandemic Visions: Is There a Place for Cadaver Training?

Medical Schools are Shifting to Post-Pandemic Visions: Is There a Place for Cadaver Training?

The novel coronavirus has placed strain on our medical system in ways we’ve never seen. But it hasn’t only been hospitals, urgent care clinics, and even how first-responders operate in the field that have experienced dramatic changes, our medical schools have also been affected. In some ways, due to the pause on in-person clinical training some med students faced, we could say these changes were unfortunate. Looking forward, however, medicine is now creating post-pandemic visions of health care that may have positive and lasting effects around the world. 

The adjustments that medical schools had to make beginning in early 2020 touched both ideology and clinical practice. Nearly every aspect of how medical students would learn was touched. Administrations, professors, and students themselves had to adjust on the fly. There was no warning, no instruction manual to follow, and a whole generation of doctors to train. What is interesting about this scenario is that it may offer some of the best opportunities to transform the system from the ground up. 

One of the most significant changes to occur during this time was the switch to online learning. The technical aspects of this transition were relatively easy. It’s the clinical aspect that can prove challenging. Regardless of the advances we’ve made in technology and simulation, a switch to online learning could diminish the hands-on portion of clinical medicine that is so necessary and integral to success for new doctors. Being an advancing field, medicine demands that doctors continue to progress in their awareness of human anatomy, which we still believe comes best through cadaver training. 

While some institutions have moved solely to virtual reality simulators and video libraries of old patient interviews and exams, these are poor substitutes for […]

September 15th, 2021|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on Medical Schools are Shifting to Post-Pandemic Visions: Is There a Place for Cadaver Training?
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    The Essential ways that Cadaver Training Helps First Responders

The Essential ways that Cadaver Training Helps First Responders

The value of anatomy as an integral aspect of medical science and education has been understood for aeons. The anatomical structure of the human body, in particular, is foundational to the retention of clinical knowledge. This is as true for nurses and first responders as it is for medical doctors and surgeons. It is also true for those who develop medical devices and instrumentation. For many years, medical institutions have supported academic development by teaching anatomy and physiology. Many medical students can remember the first time they set foot in the cadaver lab. However, as times and technologies have changed, education as it pertains to anatomy has shifted into the virtual realm. 

The argument regarding the continued validity of real-life, hands-on cadaver training has gone on for years now. Respectfully, we maintain our stance that anything less than cadaver training is lacking in giving a medical professional or first responder the skills to face what they will be exposed to on the job. Cadaver training isn’t just about anatomy and physiology. It is about gaining the visual and tactile experience of various anatomical structures. It is about exposure to the natural variables that exist in the human body. Ultimately, cadaver training is more than a conceptual experience, it is one that involves mind, body, and emotion. 
Additional Aspects of Clinical Work
While anatomy is an important aspect of clinical practice, the involvement of emotional and psychological responses on the job cannot be overlooked. These responses exist even in the educational sector in which students enter the cadaver lab. Numerous students have written of the emotional response they have had in the lab. Between 5 and 7 percent of cadaver lab participants have reported experiencing recurrent images of […]

August 15th, 2021|Cadavers in Medical Training|Comments Off on The Essential ways that Cadaver Training Helps First Responders
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    Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Makes Sense for Patients and Their Providers

Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Makes Sense for Patients and Their Providers

Spine surgery has always been a relatively complex matter. It wasn’t long ago that patients needing a back or neck procedure had their surgery using an “open” technique. Over time, a myriad of procedures were refined thanks to advances in surgical instrumentation and techniques. Surgeons also now have a better understanding of anatomical structure as a result of advancing diagnostic imaging, cadaver training, and other tools. This understanding has elevated patient outcomes, particularly for spinal surgeries.

There is no question that minimally invasive spine surgery is advantageous for patients. The recovery period after surgery is typically shorter and more comfortable. With shorter incisions than open surgery, minimally invasive spine procedures have a lower risk of infection and blood loss. Today’s spine surgeon tends to be extraordinarily motivated to master minimally invasive surgical techniques and demonstrate proficiency that translates into successful outcomes. This is yet another testament to the validity of cadaver training. 

Minimally invasive spine surgery is not new. This area of medicine has been in an ongoing process of refinement for over half a century. The last few decades alone have brought significant advancements. With beginnings that included a small group of surgeons learning microsurgical techniques, minimally invasive procedural models have expanded exponentially throughout all of medicine, with one surgeon honing skills and passing them on to colleagues through formal training events. 

The value of minimally invasive surgical techniques is not limited to patients, though that is the ultimate goal. Surgeons also experience fewer issues when modern surgical methods are utilized. MISS spares tissue and nerves far better than open surgery while achieving the access that is necessary for a safe and effective spine surgery. Spinal surgeons must navigate a significant amount of anatomy, and today’s […]

July 15th, 2021|Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery|Comments Off on Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery Makes Sense for Patients and Their Providers