The Undergraduate and Surgical Skills Centre, in partnership with ZOLL Medical Corporation, hosted the 2020 CPR Competition on 26th February 2020. The competition took place in the Foyer at HW Snyman Building, Faculty of Health Sciences. Undergraduate students from different disciplines had to enter teams to participate in the competition.

Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning, Professor Vanessa Steenkamp touched on the importance of the annual event, she said: “This is an exciting example of how technology can transform teaching and learning practice. It provides us with a tool to entrench the skills required for the place of work. Additionally, this allows for students from different disciplines to engage, resembling a real-life scenario.”

The competition which was coordinated by Head of Undergraduate- and Surgical Skills Laboratories, Prof Ronel Herselman makes teaching and learning visible and provides students with an opportunity to practice assimilation based cases with a stronger emphasis on reality. They gain real-life experience of something that they would traditionally watch on video or practice in a lab. Students had to deal with additional pressures, such as time management. After each scenario, student teams received feedback. They were given another opportunity to apply what they had learnt in the scenario.

Students embraced the opportunity to put what they have learnt in the lecture rooms into practice. Third-year MBChB student Nicole Nesser used the opportunity to improve her techniques for conducting CPR. “It was a great experience for me. I was doing CPR but didn’t know that I could improve my skill. The instructor, real-life scenario and machines helped me realise what I can improve to become a better Doctor in future.”

The CPR Competition was sponsored by ZOLL Medical Corporation, a company that develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives. “The University of Pretoria is an ideal partner because it is about data, science and innovation. The assimilated scenarios use technology to make a big difference to patients by increasing clinical and operational efficiencies which leads to a second chance in life.” shared Munther Hassan, who is the Senior Regional Manager (the Middle East & Africa) at ZOLL Medical Corporation.

This is sure to be an event that will be repeated!