Stressed about Your Sim Center Design? These 4 Tips Can Help
So, you’re designing an academic simulation center. You probably have a pretty good idea of the kinds of spaces you need—somewhere to run simulations and somewhere to debrief them, for example—but what about the technology each of those spaces require to run smoothly and deliver results for learners? If digging through your technology requirements and trying to choose the best solution gives you the anxiety sweats, grab your anti-perspirant and keep reading. Level 3 has successfully designed and deployed large-scale, integrated academic solution centers. Based on that experience, here are four spaces that are critical to your simulation center’s success, and the technology solutions they need to run smoothly.
4 SIMULATION SPACES YOU NEED AND THE TECH THAT MAKES THEM WORK
1. Simulation rooms. These rooms are designed to provide hands-on training for urgent care situations that students might eventually encounter in an emergency room, ICU or other hospital setting. A typical scenario for this environment would be treating multiple victims of a car accident. Equip your simulation rooms with cameras and ceiling microphones to capture video and audio of the scenario, video encoders to capture vital signs, and a high-fidelity mannikin.
2. Exam rooms. Students need practice interacting with patients in a non-emergency setting and that’s where the exam room comes in. Scenarios run here help students practice building rapport with patients and providing basic exams. The mood in exam rooms is more low-key than the hospital setting simulation rooms, and the technology requirements are, too. Most exam rooms use a standardized patient—an actor or actress instead of a mannikin—and require little technology beyond simple audio and video recording solutions.
3. Control rooms. Control rooms provide a space for a third-party, such as a simulation technician, to smoothly and seamlessly run the scenario without getting in the way of students or instructors. Touchscreens allow technicians to easily run the software and desktop microphones let operators speak directly to people in the simulation room either individually or as a group. For a program with multiple simulation and exam rooms, a centralized control room can house multiple control stations, each designated for a specific room. Your overall simulation control solution should also include system monitoring that can prevent software glitches from creating downtime in your simulation system that negatively impacts training schedules and outcomes. System monitoring—or intelligent device monitoring (IDM)—allows you to proactively identify and address small issues before they become big problems, which increases overall participation and productivity in your simulation program. Level 3 Audiovisual's Pulse IDM 24/7 monitoring solution monitors all the technologies across your simulation center, including microphones, cameras, and speakers to protect the operation and functionality of your entire system.
4. Debriefing rooms. One benefit of simulation training is allowing students to practice for life-and-death circumstances in a controlled, low-risk environment, and a large part of simulation learning takes place during the scenario itself. But there are some key lessons that get lost in the heat of the moment. By recording simulation scenarios and annotating those recordings for debriefing later, students and instructors can review details that couldn’t be addressed in the high-pressure simulation environment and correct any mistakes before they impact real-life patient care.A solution like Level 3 Audiovisual's SimStation Essential, a mobile, high-end video recording and debriefing hardware and software package designed for any size simulation program, can help you capture both in-situ and off-site simulation events. Designated debriefing rooms within your simulation center, equipped with displays and PC inputs, provide a space to review and discuss simulation results. Debriefing can occur in real-time as the scenario takes place, or after the fact with a recording of the simulation event. Depending on the size of your simulation program and the number of scenarios you are running, you might need multiple debriefing rooms.
Next Steps
For an example of how Level 3 Audiovisual simulation experts have deployed all these spaces in an integrated simulation program solution, read our UT Health Simulation Center case study! Ready to get started? Reach out to us here or click the chatbox below to connect instantly. We look forward to working with you.
