Using simulation for medicine and healthcare education is at the forefront of healthcare technology applications in universities and training hospitals across the United States. Medical simulation labs are sophisticated educational tools that help prepare our future doctors and nurses for a safe and confident entrance to the world of medical care.   

Planning and building a new healthcare simulation lab (or remodeling an existing one) is a complex process with several moving parts. Your facility’s goals and objectives, space limitations, equipment needs, and more must be addressed early to ensure the final product meets your expectations and can fulfill your program goals.

Below, we outline key considerations to keep in mind during the planning stages of a medical simulation lab for your facility in New York, City, NY, or worldwide.

A new hire, a simulation technician for an undergraduate simulation program, attended a manikin vendor’s class on programming scenarios.  She had already been working for many years in various IT roles, so learning the technology used in simulation was an exciting opportunity. The course was attended by over 15 nursing and EMT educators; they were almost salivating at the possibility of one day getting “their own” technician.  These educators had become keenly aware of the demands placed on them in addition to the courses they taught and related responsibilities, and now they were learning a relatively new technology. Before leaving, the simulation technician received several polite invitations to come work for their programs; in the same breath of the invitation was the expression of frustration that they did not have the funds or administrative will to further staff the simulation facility.