Simulation-based education is an advanced tool for educating and training a new generation of doctors and nurses. Medical simulation technology uses a combination of AV components, advanced simulation software, and life-like training manikins to create hands-on, interactive scenarios that medical and nursing students are most likely to face in real life. Medical schools, teaching hospitals, and nursing programs in Washington, D.C., and across the U.S. are coming to realize the unique benefits simulation-based education brings to the medical field.

Among other training purposes, simulation labs are used to train students in three common healthcare scenarios where students can benefit from hands-on practice: emergency medicine simulation, surgery, and clinical exams. Keep reading to learn more.

Healthcare simulations are designed to prepare students for high-stakes medical situations. That means that while simulation exercises take place in a safe and controlled environment, they also need to replicate the chaos and urgency of a true medical emergency. When a “patient” codes or a barrage of trauma victims stretch participants to the limit, they’re learning about real-life stressors through healthcare simulation. One area of healthcare simulation that should be free from chaos and distraction, however, is the control room, where facilitators or simulation technicians monitor and run each scenario. Unfortunately, poor design and bad technology in your control room can create distractions that negatively impact simulations and learning. But good design and the right technology can help scenarios run smoothly and improve participants’ experience. Keep reading to learn more about control room distractions and solutions to prevent them.

Simulation training has become the gold standard of healthcare education. But when it comes to experience and training for simulation technicians and simulation operators, the industry is still working on standard requirements and expectations. Many people interested in working in the simulation field are left to decide the best training and education on their own, and many institutions who need to hire new sim techs don’t know what to look for. If you are looking to hire new simulation technicians, applicants with an EMT (emergency medical technician) certification are a good place to start. In fact, several of the simulation experts working at Level 3 AV started out as EMTs themselves. In a recent webinar they outlined some of the reasons EMT experience is great preparation for work as a sim tech.

Imagine someone sitting you down in the cockpit of an airplane and telling you to figure out how to fly it. Seems ridiculous, right? The technology is so daunting and complex, anyone who isn’t a trained pilot would need a lot of help to figure it out. Sitting a faculty or staff member down in a simulation lab and telling them to run a scenario would be just as difficult and confusing for them—though probably not as terrifying. Without the proper training, simulation technology can be intimidating for educators. They can’t just sit down and figure it out. When faculty members are unsure of how to use a solution such as a simulation system, they are unlikely to support an organizational investment in it. They are also unlikely to use it even if the organization invests in the technology. However, removing common barriers, concerns, and misunderstandings faculty members face can help you improve buy-in and increase adoption of simulation solutions at your institution or organization.

Simulated training exercises have been part of medical education for more than 2,000 years. While medical and nursing students once learned their craft using statues with “veins” made of blown glass, today’s medical simulation manikins are sometimes indistinguishable from human patients. Simulation solutions allow students to practice, assess, and perfect their skills—from taking vitals to triage to surgery—with no risk to real patients. Video capture designed for debriefing further enhances the value of simulation education by allowing instructors to address specific actions and results. If you’re considering implementing a simulation system in your institution or organization, you may have a lot of questions about what will be the right solution for you, and what it will take to operate and maintain it.  Level 3’s Audiovisual's Simulation Technology & Operations Consultant is here to answer the most frequently asked questions about simulation in healthcare education.