One of the major goals of the Simulation Center is to promote instructor development, from novice to expert. We have a wide range of simulation tools, including equipment ranging from simple part task trainers and mechanical models through computer programs and virtual reality simulators, but it’s not about the manikins and other tools that make this center unique. It’s the multi-departmental, interprofessional collaboration and instruction that make us stand apart from other centers.
Dr. Arne Budde works with a group of residents and medical students on airway procedures.
Our experiential instructor courses provide training on a wide range of simulation topics, including simulation theory and philosophy, scenario development, implementation, and evaluation, and team training, all with a strong focus on the art of debriefing, the most important part of simulation education. We also provide on-site instructor courses and consultation services that we can customize to the specific needs of host centers. Contact Theresa Brosche at tbrosche@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-5813 for more information.
The center is also helping to create programs in critical areas where competency must be demonstrated in the center prior to working with real patients or to maintain certification in a medical specialty. The Department of Anesthesiology offers Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesia (MOCA) courses to residents, faculty and outside practitioners. The Department of Surgery certifies residents, faculty and outside users using the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) testing program.
Respiratory Therapist Phil Stark and nurse Julie Becker work with a new born simulator. The Center has a full range of simulators from preterm infants to adults.
Certification courses offered at other American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes can be viewed on their Calendar of Events.
Many of the applications in the Simulation Center have been developed around specific areas in resident and student curricula where we felt that current models or teaching methods were not as effective as they could be. One such example is resident orientation. The First Three Days in Anesthesia (F3DA) was the first program, begun in 1994.
Clinical Simulation Center Course Catalog
