The Department of Anesthesiology's Center for Patient Simulation celebrated its grand opening on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in its new home at Building 379. The center – previously situated on the School of Medicine's third floor–offers cutting–edge simulation–based training facilities for clinical staff, residents, and students at the University of Utah. The center has a simulated operating room, intensive care unit, debriefing rooms, live stream capabilities, and a spacious workshop area to facilitate immersive and interactive learning experiences. At the opening event, attendees experienced simulated patient care activities, including ultrasound-guided central line placement, fiberoptic intubation, CPR and defibrillation, EZ-IO placement, and cricothyrotomy. Attendees also toured the adjacent Bioengineering Laborator to learn about the many ongoing and completed projects derived in the learning centers from the engineers that worked on the projects.
Learning centers such as the Center for Patient Simulation play a crucial role in medical education by serving as innovation hubs, providing students the opportunity to fail without fear of repercussions, filling gaps in traditional clinical apprenticeships, and equipping students with essential crisis resource management skills such as leadership, prioritization, and division of labor. Looking ahead, the center aims to stay at the forefront of advancements and technology in the medical field and integrate into department and hospital-wide quality initiatives to accelerate process improvement cycles and positively impact patient care throughout the healthcare system.
