Columbus Monthly: Simulation Is The New Way to Learn By Doing
By: Michelle Sullivan
This excerpt is from the Local Innovation article in the September edition of Columbus Monthly.
“…There’s an old saying in medial training: see one, do one, teach one. A decade ago, medical interns and residents would watch a procedure, perform it on a patient and then teach someone else to do it.
Technologies now allow new physicians to learn through virtual simulation, as well as through training equipment that utilizes virtual environments. They can practice on computerized mannequins while instructor remotely control the situation or use specialized virtual-reality trainers. Teaching hospitals have seen this trend perpetuate in the past three or four years as more advanced equipment and programs become available, says Dr. Charles Sanders, vice president of medical education and research for Mount Carmel Health System.
Mount Carmel’s Clinical Skills and Simulation Center is an 11,000-squarefoot facility that includes four mock hospital rooms, each with a lifelike practice mannequin on which learners can perform real-world medical procedures. The synthetic humans experience cardiac arrest, require emergency procedures and breathe, all by the instructor’s control.
“Simulation-based training can lead to improved patient safety and decreases errors, in turn improving procedural outcomes,” Sanders says.
Just months ago, two virtual simulators were added to Mount Carmel’s training repertoire. A surgical simulator and GI simulator allow physicians to use tools and computer-generated images to practice and enhance skills. Surgical residents practice laparoscopic and arthroscopic surgeries and learn to stitch and suture wounds virtually, eliminating patient risk.
Most teaching hospitals, including Riverside Methodist Hospital, Doctors Hospital and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, utilize simulation for medical training and continuing education for physicians and surgeons. Mount Carmel Health System plans to expand its simulation center to include additional technologically advanced training equipment.”