In a groundbreaking educational initiative at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), pre-health undergraduate students are gaining unprecedented clinical experience as part of an advanced science curriculum. Traditionally, students aspiring to enter medical, dental, or veterinary fields focus primarily on theoretical coursework encompassing biology, chemistry, physics, genetics, and statistics. Clinical immersion typically does not commence until graduate school, leaving a critical gap in practical skills and patient interaction experience during undergraduate education. UTA’s innovative collaboration between the College of Science, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and UTA Libraries is challenging this norm through a newly integrated clinical simulation laboratory developed explicitly for pre-health students.
This semester, students enrolled in SCIE 4304: The Art of Diagnosing Disease in Humans, an advanced course in diagnostic medicine, engaged in a state-of-the-art clinical simulation at UTA’s Smart Hospital facility. The lab functions as an interactive, immersive environment where students apply theoretical knowledge in a clinically authentic setting, bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world medical practice. Integral to this approach is the use of high-fidelity medical mannequins, augmented with moulage—hyper-realistic artificial wounds and skin conditions designed to mimic human pathology—providing students with a visual and tactile understanding of patient presentations.
Dr. Steven Gellman, M.D., associate professor of practice and the course instructor, describes two core objectives driving this initiative. The primary goal is to equip students with rudimentary clinical skills such as vital sign measurement, electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation, basic suturing, and patient history collection. These foundational competencies are crucial for any emerging healthcare professional and typically absent prior to graduate medical education. Equally important is the secondary goal of addressing and mitigating the phenomenon known as “imposter syndrome” among pre-health students. By participating in supervised, hands-on clinical tasks, students build confidence and develop a tangible sense of clinical competence, which Dr. Gellman asserts is vital to their future success.
The integration of the simulation lab within a formal College of Science pre-health course is, to Dr. Gellman’s knowledge, a pioneering step. It transcends conventional undergraduate pedagogy by including experiential learning modalities typically confined to professional healthcare training programs. Classroom theories on disease diagnosis and patient care are thus vividly contextualized through active participation. This fusion of didactic instruction and immersive practice enhances not only skill acquisition but also cognitive assimilation and retention.
The comprehensive curriculum leverages a variety of diagnostic and monitoring techniques. Students engage with electrocardiography, learning to recognize and interpret cardiac electrical activity abnormalities—skills essential for emergent and critical care contexts. Moreover, the manipulation and evaluation of moulage-augmented mannequins sharpen observational acumen, facilitating proficiency in clinical examination and differential diagnosis. These mannequins, integrated with real-world physiological feedback such as simulated heartbeats and respiratory patterns, foster an interactive learning environment where students can hone both technical and perceptual faculties.
In addition to mannequin-based activities, the laboratory experience incorporates sessions with standardized patients—professional actors trained to simulate authentic clinical scenarios. This component is instrumental in developing effective communication techniques, bedside manner, and empathic patient engagement. By practicing elicitation of patient histories, conducting physical examinations, and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics, students acquire a nuanced understanding of the human aspects of medical care that are often overlooked in traditional didactic settings.
Erica Hinojosa, the simulation technology manager overseeing the lab, emphasizes the multifaceted nature of the training. She highlights that students perform specimen analysis, suturing exercises, and vital signs assessment in realistic scenarios that approximate the high-pressure and variable conditions of clinical environments. The immersive setup fosters an experiential learning cycle where errors lead to immediate, constructive feedback, promoting iterative skill refinement and procedural mastery.
Curricular development has been a collaborative venture with notable contributions from the university’s experiential learning librarian, Chloé Bennett. Her expertise in experiential curriculum design and lesson execution has been pivotal in shaping a program that is pedagogically sound and aligned with modern competency-based medical education frameworks. This multidisciplinary cooperation underscores the university’s commitment to evolving science education by integrating library sciences, clinical knowledge, and simulation technology.
The 2025 expansion of this immersive curriculum builds upon a pilot initiative launched in 2024—a Clinical Experience Workshop lasting ten days that offered students intensive skill training, including intravenous line placement, childbirth delivery simulations, and virtual-reality-based clinical scenarios. The success of this predecessor program provided a foundation for scaling up to a semester-long course with broader content coverage and depth, thereby institutionalizing hands-on clinical training within the undergraduate pre-health syllabus.
This initiative reflects UTA’s broader strategic mission as a Carnegie R-1 research institution dedicated not only to scientific discovery but also to applied innovation in education. By embedding authentic clinical experiences earlier in the educational timeline, the university aims to produce a cadre of pre-health professionals who are not only theoretically proficient but also practically prepared and psychologically empowered to navigate the complexities of healthcare delivery.
In an era increasingly emphasizing patient-centered care and healthcare equity, such educational advancements are invaluable. The simulation lab enriches students’ understanding of diverse patient conditions and health disparities by fostering practical skills in clinical assessment and diagnosis alongside communication and empathy. This comprehensive approach is aimed at cultivating future healthcare providers adept at both technical execution and humanistic care, addressing the pressing need for competent, confident practitioners within the healthcare workforce.
Ultimately, UTA’s pioneering clinical simulation lab for pre-health undergraduates represents a transformative model for science education. By coupling rigorous academic coursework with authentic clinical immersion, the program dismantles traditional barriers and redefines the trajectory of health profession training. As this paradigm gains traction, it holds the potential to influence curricula nationwide, ensuring that future medical professionals emerge from undergraduate programs better equipped to meet the complexities and challenges inherent in modern healthcare settings.
Subject of Research: Clinical education and simulation training for pre-health undergraduate students
Article Title: The University of Texas at Arlington Pioneers Immersive Clinical Simulation in Pre-Health Curriculum
News Publication Date: 2025-04-22
Web References:
- SCIE 4304 Course Information: https://catalog.uta.edu/search/?P=SCIE%204304
- UTA Smart Hospital: https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/conhi/research/smart-hospital
- UTA News Release on Mobile Lab: https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2025/03/31/uta-takes-lead-with-mobile-lab-to-address-rural-health-care-crisis
- UTA News Release on Medical School Program: https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2024/06/04/uta-program-helps-students-achieve-medical-school-dreams
- UTA Clinical Experience Workshop Information: https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2024/06/21/giving-pre-med-students-hands-on-clinical-training
Image Credits: UTA
Keywords: Health and medicine, Clinical education, Simulation lab, Pre-health students, Medical training, Diagnostic tools, Electrocardiography, Moulage, Standardized patients, Experiential learning, Clinical skills, Medical education innovation
