Medical simulation is the new way for educators to perform training in situational environments without impacting real patients’ lives or placing students in circumstances they may not be prepared for yet. In simulation scenarios, medical students can practice applicable skills ranging from checking vitals to performing surgery while learning how to work and communicate with a team. A simulation lab provides interaction, engagement and training in a safe and controlled environment.

In the world of healthcare simulation, fidelity describes the degree to which a simulated scenario represents reality. High-fidelity medical simulation includes a combination of hardware and software that works together to create a highly realistic scenario for students to participate in, whether that’s giving a patient an annual check-up or performing an emergency procedure.

Are you a simulation technician tasked with choosing new technology for your simulation lab? And are you feeling overwhelmed by the task? Don’t panic. Choosing the best equipment for your sim lab—and getting it for the best price—can be as simple as scoring the perfect vacuum on Black Friday. Maybe even easier, because you won’t have to fight anyone for the last item on the shelf. Keep reading for tips on what you should consider when choosing new sim lab tools—and why the process might be easier than you think.

Several companies have benefited from a manufacturing and service model that delivers on quality and usability.  Think for a moment, when considering computer and device innovation (for example), what computer companies do you think of that fit this characterization?  When you think of simulation AV companies, do you have the same assurance as you might with, say Microsoft or Apple? In the healthcare simulation community, many seem to have either learned to accept less from their AV solution provider. For many simulationists, they find ways to work around the deficiencies of their AV solution.  However, Level 3 Audiovisual recognizes that if our customers want to enjoy a higher level of quality, reliability, and objective focused solutions, money is not necessarily related.

Simulation technology is a hot topic these days, and its popularity is only increasing. Why? Because simulation helps healthcare students and providers prepare for high stakes scenarios in a safe, low-risk environment. Simulation-enabled education and training ultimately improves provider performance and patient outcomes. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its share of unique frustrations. As more institutions incorporate simulation solutions into their training curriculums, more kinks appear that need to be worked out.

In a real life medical emergency, wasting time becomes a matter of life and death. In a simulated medical emergency an actual life isn’t on the line but wasted time can still be damaging. If an educator has to spend time on setting up the system, troubleshooting the system, or fixing glitches, time is taken away from critical teaching and learning. Simulation scenarios might be rushed or missed altogether if teachers spend the bulk of their time just trying to get a simulation system to work. As institutions of higher learning—particularly those involved in medical training—increasingly incorporate simulation tools into their curriculums, investing in a dedicated technician to ensure the system runs smoothly is more important than ever.

Simulation certification is still new to Healthcare. As the simulation community has grown, defining the standards to ensure someone is qualified to perform a specific task has been at times, challenging. Since healthcare simulation centers can be found in pre-hospital programs, hospital-based programs, nursing schools, and medical schools the challenge is setting standards for certification that can be applied to all the different job environments. As the profession for simulation technicians and specialist has grown so has the movement to establish this group within the structure of simulation programs. Typically, physicians, nurses, and educators have filled most of the roles in a simulation center.

This is the first question I asked myself when starting at a healthcare simulation center. From working with patient simulator’s and skill trainers to programming vital signs and scenario’s, healthcare simulation can have a big learning curve for those just starting out in this field. The area I felt needed the majority of focus was navigating AV systems in healthcare simulation.