Samuel Merritt University, Health Sciences Simulation Center hosts international participants

Health Sciences Simulation Center Staff in Operating Room scenario

The faculty and staff of the Health Sciences Simulation Center hosted participants of the IMSH 2014 conference in an immersive course on Sunday, January 26th. The course required a high-fidelity set-up for a surgical team to experience the reality of team communication during a laparoscopic procedure for an ectopic pregnancy. The patient hemorrhages profusely but the OB-GYN surgeon dismisses the concerns of other team members. Participants viewing the live action from a nearby classroom are then asked to rewrite the script with the goal being to achieve a better outcome. Course faculty were led by Colleen Lee.

Utilizing Simulation to Teach Effective Communication Techniques to Multidisciplinary Teams of Providers in the Operating Room (SIG) Course Director: Colleen Lee, RN 
Faculty: David Young,  Ken Plitt, CRNA, Nelli Fisher, MD , Mikio Nihira, MD, MPH , Andy Miller, James Korndorffer, MD, FACS, MHPE , Edward Kosik, DO 
Course overview: Participants will learn effective means for utilizing simulation to teach communication strategies for dealing with an inter-professional team in the perioperative setting.  Participants will learn how to create simulation-based exercises and scenarios to teach communication techniques based on Team STEPPS strategies, including collapsing the hierarchy, employing critical language (e.g., CUS), and implementing the 2-challenge rule.

Once the course objectives had been met, HSSC faculty and staff led groups of attendees to tour the center simulation suites, training rooms, and AV control rooms. Lunch was provided and folks were bused back to the IMSH 2014 conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Two additional delegations, from Japan and China, enjoyed personalized tours and exchanged ideas with the HSSC team.