Empowering future healthcare workers through teamwork is one way that we can prepare our future nurses for all the tasks required of them; whether it be keeping a risk free environment for patients or educating them properly through the practice of nursing simulation.

Practicing nurses are in a hypnotic fog; the room is spinning, there is an eruption of high pitched beeps, the patient is going into cardiac arrest. In these weighted seconds, every action and decision is critical. Each member must perform his or her specific role in sync, at the right time: the future of a human life depends on harmony.

Our nation has a growing demand for innovative, forward-thinking nursing education programs. The Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) officially opened its state-of-the-art nursing simulation laboratory last year. Using human patient simulators and cameras, MCN is clearly using impressive technology. But, technology alone does not make a great nursing simulation program; good interdisciplinary communication among nursing instructors and information technology (IT) is necessary.

Harmony: nursing faculty and full-time technical associates enable the Nursing Simulation Laboratory at MCN to be an incredible educational site. This learning center has the potential to prepare future nurses for every possible scenario they may encounter. Theory can be practiced safely and repeatedly.

Simulation Center Coordinator, Jennifer Mool, MSN, BSN, RN, elaborates on the importance of IT in the development of the center. “Education Management Solutions’ (EMS) technology includes everything from an integrated clinical nursing simulation management, skills evaluation, and AV system to simulated electronic health records and check-in kiosk add-on modules. IT was involved… they helped sift through options, and eventually worked closely with EMS to get the system we needed.”

The nursing simulation learning experience gives students the necessary freedom to fine-tune the skills of their profession in collaboration with others and through the practice of diverse scenarios. Different skills and abilities are tested and strengthened in the virtual hospital in ways that just could not be done in a real clinical setting. Theory becomes tangible. Students are empowered with access to the types of knowledge that only experience can bring.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The largest class so far at University of Central Florida's medical school began its first year on Monday.

Fifty-five men and 45 women make up the graduating class of 2016, and while it took substantial work to be able to earn admission into the school, the real work has yet to begin. The class size is seven times larger than UCF's inaugural class four years ago.  Every one of the incoming medical students will train at UCF using medical simulation tools, which essentially are just video games.

The school is already one of the top universities in the nation for game design, which is poised to create a massive job boom in the metro area, and medical simulation could make it one of the top spots in the nation. Many of the simulations will be built by graduates of the school's video game design school, which according to the Princeton Review, is ranked fourth in the nation after Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Being able to simply hold up a device like this iPad and focus on the poster and have it come to life," said David Metcalf, of the UCF Institute for Simulation and Training.

And future employment for game designers is booming.

The VA is set to open a major medical simulation center in late 2013, which will train thousands of VA technicians across the nation.  The coming Creative Village will become a hub of game design and medical simulation work and will bring in hundreds of jobs for designers. And then there are the more than 150-plus companies already in the area largely doing military simulation that are also moving into healthcare, making it a $11 billion a year industry.

"Can this be the largest producer of medical simulation in the country?" WFTV asked.

"We have the potential to be that. We're certainly poised to do that," said Randy Shumaker with the UCF Institute for Simulation and Training. 

On average there are currently 150 job openings in the city for game design and development. And the jobs are high-paying. A 22-year-old graduate will average $50,000 the first year out of school.

Source.

Surgery residents committed eight times as many errors during simulated procedures when realistic distractions and interruptions were introduced than when they completed procedures without interruption, investigators reported.

The residents made major surgical errors during eight of 18 simulated procedures with distractions versus only one of 18 operations that occurred without intrusions.

Additionally, more than half of the residents forgot a key memory task related to the surgery when they were interrupted as compared with 22% during uninterrupted surgery, as reported online in Archives of Surgery.

"This study provided statistically significant evidence to support the hypothesis that realistic operating-room (OR) distractions and interruptions increase the likelihood of errors in a simulated laboratory setting with novice surgeons," Robin L. Feuerbacher, PhD, of Oregon State University-Cascades in Bend, Ore., and co-authors wrote in conclusion.

"This finding is important because it implies that OR distractions and interruptions may lead to adverse patient outcomes," they added.

Despite the high error rate, the authors said the results should not be interpreted as representative of operating-room (OR) experience in general.

"It must be noted that the distractions and interruptions were timed to occur at critical points and occurred more frequently than observed in an OR," they wrote. "Consequently, these results should not be used to infer that almost half of all surgical procedures with distractions and interruptions are expected to have major surgical errors."

More.

TORONTO -- It's a pivotal event that comes in the education of all would-be surgeons. At some point, medical students who plan to make a career of opening up and fixing other human beings have to make that first cut.

If Drs. Teodor Grantcharov and Vanessa Palter have their way, however, that first application of scalpel to skin will occur on a computer screen, not on the torso of a living, breathing person. And not just the first cut. They believe surgical residents ought to achieve an established level of proficiency in a virtual operating room before they start plying their scalpel in a real OR.

"There are studies that show that in the first 50 cases, the risk of major complications is significantly higher than after the next 30 cases. And all these studies are done on real patients," says Grantcharov, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive procedures at St. Michael's, one of the university's teaching hospitals.

To Grantcharov, the idea of allowing surgical residents to operate before they've met a set skill level in a virtual OR is outdated.
Simulation tools are now available and are found with increasing frequency in medical schools across North America. They provide an alternate route for surgical residents to climb the early -- and risk-filled -- part of the learning curve.

"I always found it ridiculous to talk about learning curves on real patients," says Grantcharov, a towering figure decked out in clogs, scrubs and a Toronto Maple Leafs surgical cap. We want to see the learning curve in the simulation theatre or on the computer. Talking about learning curves of procedures on patients -- I think it's unethical."

And inefficient. Grantcharov and Palter -- a surgical resident who is also working on a PhD -- recently published a study showing that surgical residents who train first in a simulation lab significantly outperform colleagues who receive only standard surgical training.

The study compared University of Toronto surgical residents who completed a five-month long simulation training module to residents who received conventional surgical training. All the residents performed a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy -- an operation where a tumour is removed from the right side of the colon using small incisions, not the large cuts commonly used for operations in the past.

The procedures were videotaped and graded by outside experts. Residents who had trained on the simulators scored an average of 16 points (out of 20) where surgical residents who didn't get the additional virtual training scored an average of eight.

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We had a great response to the webinar (Jul 11) "Debriefing Approaches and Methods that Lead to Success in Practice" by Kathee Long, Wright Career College School of Nursing.

Abstract: Debriefing has been used in the military for educational and operational purposes, and therapeutically for soldiers after combat. It is only in the last few years that healthcare education has adopted debriefing, which provides a way to analyze and make sense of experiences. There are many models and styles of debriefing but its effectiveness is due in large part to the facilitator and other factors.

The purpose of this presentation is to define debriefing and the goals of debriefing; and to discuss debriefing approaches and methods that lead to success in the practice.

Here’s your chance to continue the conversation. Post your questions/comments here and get a response.

If you missed the webinar and would like a copy of slides and a link to the recording, click on the "Contact Us" tab at the top of this page.

Join us for a FREE Webinar!

Click here: sign up now!

"Debriefing Approaches and Methods that Lead to Success in Practice"

Presented by:
Kathee Long RN, MSN-Ed
Lab Coordinator and Simulation Lab Director
Wright Career College School of Nursing

Abstract: Debriefing has been used in the military for educational and operational purposes, and therapeutically for soldiers after combat. It is only in the last few years that healthcare education has adopted debriefing, which provides a way to analyze and make sense of experiences. There are many models and styles of debriefing but its effectiveness is due in large part to the facilitator and other factors.

The purpose of this presentation is to define debriefing and the goals of debriefing; and to discuss debriefing approaches and methods that lead to success in the practice.

Hosted by:
Education Management Solutions (EMS)
http://ems-works.com

Wednesday, July 11, 2012
2:00 pm EDT
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Webinars are one hour in length.

Space is limited!

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To accommodate the growing need for pharmacy technicians in Central Florida, beginning in August 2012, Seminole State College of Florida will launch a Pharmacy Technology and Management degree program.

“The specialty pharmacy sector has become a key, growing segment of the Central Florida economy,” said Angela Kersenbrock, associate vice president of the college’s School of Career and Professional Programs, “and there are not enough people who have the skills to work in these pharmacies. Our new program, based at our Altamonte Springs Campus, can help fill this tremendous need by training up to 120 students per year.”

Seminole State College will become the only public college in Central Florida offering a comprehensive pharmacy technology program approved by the Florida Board of Pharmacy.

The new program will use the sophisticated simulation labs shared by all of the college’s healthcare programs at the Altamonte Springs Campus. In addition, pharmacy technology students will benefit from a state-of-the-art lab dedicated to their specialty.

Seminole State’s program will offer two routes into this fast-growing industry, which is expected to generate about 250 job openings a year in Central Florida during the next five years:

• An Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree in Pharmacy Management

• A Pharmacy Technician Applied Technology Diploma

And because Seminole State is a state college, the program costs about one-third the price of a comparable education at a private or for-profit college, Kersenbrock said.

The four-semester diploma program “is more community-based,” said Cheryl Cicotti, associate dean of healthcare programs. After passing the national board certification exam, graduates will be able to work in retail pharmacies such as Walgreens or CVS.

Read more.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Teams of EMTs walked into a tense situation yesterday.

Bertha, a 70-something-year-old grandmother, was struggling to breathe. As she quipped about wanting another cigarette, her grandson relayed her history of health conditions. Gently, with practiced hands, the EMTs held stethoscopes to her chest and listened to her breathing, being careful not to disturb her nightgown. In soothing voices, they asked her to describe her symptoms.

Using a series of medical checks along with information provided over the phone by a doctor, they determined they had to treat a build-up of fluid in her lungs, take intermediary steps to help her get oxygenated and get her to the hospital. It was a well-practiced dance for the teams of EMS personnel, who demonstrated an ease in working together and a vast repertoire of emergency medical knowledge -- gleaned from hours logged on the job. Watching them from behind one-way glass in the simulation lab at Staten Island University Hospital's Regina M. McGinn M.D. Education Center in Ocean Breeze, a team of five judges assessed their responses to the patient in distress.

"I was floored by their knowledge base and their competitive edge," said Dr. Paul Barbara, an emergency medicine physician with a sub-specialty in emergency medical services, who dreamed up the idea for the first ever "Sim Lab Wars."

"Their enthusiasm was huge."

A kick-off to the hospital's EMS Week, the friendly competition brought seven teams of four emergency medical responders from across the Island to the hospital's state-of-the art Simulation Lab to compete in a test of knowledge, communication and efficiency.

"This isn't just to get everyone to play in the Sim Lab," said Dr. Barbara, noting that having a good time -- which all participants indeed seemed to do -- was only part of the goal. "It's to educate."

He and nearly a dozen other emergency medicine physicians, nurses and hospital educators and administrators planned the event -- drawing up scenarios for the sick patients, a schematic by which participants would be judged and getting the word out to local EMT teams, to encourage them to sign up.

The 28 participants applied their skills to an uncannily convincing dummy -- a high-tech machine that costs upwards of $100,000 and can simulate dozens of medical conditions. It has "eyes" that dilate, "lungs" that can breathe in and out, and "skin" that feels soft to the touch.

While the four Advanced Life Support Teams worked on Bertha, the three Basic Life Support teams had to treat Tyler, a 20-something amateur bombmaker whose experiment had backfired, leaving him unconscious, with chemical burns all over his body -- the wounds convincingly covering the medical dummy's body.

More.

Newswise — DETROIT – A Henry Ford Hospital study found that simulation training improved the critical decision-making skills of medical residents performing actual resuscitations in the Emergency Department.

Researchers say the residents performed better in four key skill areas after receiving the simulation training: leadership, problem solving, situational awareness and communication. Their overall performance also sharpened.

While many studies have shown the benefits of simulation training for honing the skill level of medical professionals, Henry Ford’s study evaluated residents’ decision-making skills before performing simulated resuscitations and then performing the real-life emergency procedure.

The study will be presented Friday at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“The improved performance from simulation to actual clinical practice was telling,” says Sudhir Baliga, M.D., senior staff physician in Henry Ford’s Emergency Department and the study’s lead author. “This is another important example of simulation training as a teaching tool to prepare residents for actual bedside care.”

Fifteen second-year Emergency Department residents were evaluated during three simulated resuscitations performed in May and June 2011 at Henry Ford’s Center for Simulation, Education and Research, one of the largest simulation facilities in the United States. The residents also received classroom training.

Two months later, the residents were evaluated during three live resuscitations to determine a change in performance.

Source.

What's the best way to improve surgical patient safety nationwide? Collaborate. Or so claim the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who recently released a plan for a three-year strategic partnership. According to an ACS news release, the alliance will combine knowledge and streamline resources to track, report, and prevent adverse surgical site outcomes, encourage use of technology, and equip practitioners with the tools they need to ensure excellence in healthcare delivery.

Namely, quality of care measures, electronic health record (EHR) systems for data collection and quality measurement, and cutting-edge solutions for surgical training such as clinical simulation technology.

And to help fill knowledge gaps between local care and public health, the alliance plans to engage field experts. Practitioners and surveillance and prevention thought leaders will help the ACS/CDC group categorize what data will be collected, and in what way, to determine how best to maximize safety. They'll also develop measures aimed at preventing infections and complications, ultimately improving patient safety and surgical outcomes.

Clifford Y. Ko, MD, FACS, director of the ACS Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care said in the release, "It's clear that our national health system is seeking better ways to measure quality care."

The ACS and CDC are on the right track – together.

More.