Blog

22
Jun
2011

Celebrating MedStar’s New Clinical Simulation Center

Posted by Pamela Leonard

Next week, we open one the Nation’s most advanced simulation center’s. The simulation center’s modular design supports multiple technologies that combine to create an exceptionally experiential environment that supports the learning objectives. The space is designed to train healthcare professionals and students in the domains of skill acquisition, clinical reasoning, communication, and team training. This technology is used to define spaces rather than having permanent, immovable walls define a space. Organization of the interior space is easily tailored so it is a more effective use of space. This allows for multiple uses through the lifetime of the built environment.

The user experience is everything. When you walk into a classroom, office or simulation center, while it may seem obvious to many, it all starts with the user experience. The physical environment impacts how we learn. The challenge faced with designing new simulation training environments is to create a space that can be rapidly transformed, allowing frequent transitions across diverse training needs. The need for new learning environments in healthcare can be brought to life through simulation training centers. We create environments that continuously respond to emerging technologies to ensure future compatibility of the space with new uses, methods, and technologies. Traditional simulation center designs place priority on short-term flexibility‚ demanding immediate adaptability‚ while innovative thought towards designs offers longer-term flexibility for easier operational change.

Our goal is to provide simulation center staff with design elements in the simulation center that could be easily moved or adjusted. Adaptability is the most desired form of flexibility from an operational viewpoint. This refers to the capability of making operational changes without construction.

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About Pamela Leonard

Pamela Leonard brings over 15 years of experience in critical care nursing and management to her role as the Director of the SiTEL’s Clinical Simulation Centers. Pam established the first simulation center for MedStar Health and now oversees the operations of several clinical simulation centers in the greater Washington, DC and Baltimore areas. She leads the Clinical Simulation Consulting Services at SiTEL, leveraging best practices pioneered at MedStar to integrate simulation training and education programs into healthcare operations. Pam works closely with Advanced Initiatives in Medical Simulation. AIMS is a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to promoting medical simulation as a way to improve patient safety, reduce medical errors, ensure provider competency, train people to respond to public emergencies and combat situations, and reduce health care costs.

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Authors

  • Hollie Adejumo

    Hollie Adejumo has been a high school intern at the SiTEL Clinical Simulation Center since 2010. Her principal areas of academic interest include chemistry, calculus, and global health. She is interested in providing medical services to the public and serving as a health advocate for underrepresented populations. Hollie hopes that her research will help to reduce unnecessary deaths in the future. She will pursue a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, which will enable her to combine her interests. Proceeding to obtain an MD/PhD will give her the ability to have autonomy in the practice of medicine. This year Ms. Adejumo will be assessing the need for orthopedic simulators, and hopes to begin designing a program for an orthopedic simulator by the end of the year. Outside of school, Hollie participates in a variety of activities. Although she has been a competitive swimmer for most of her life, she also enjoys running cross country and track.

  • Joyce Donnellan

    As the Director of Learning Management, Joyce Donnellan brings over two decades of experience in critical care nursing education and professional development to SiTEL, Medstar’s Simulation and Training Environment Laboratory. She oversees the development and operation of SiTEL’s learning management system. Ms. Donnellan specializes in the development and integration of the learning management systems in complex and decentralized environments. She has extensive experience in education and training, including the development of curricula for both live and e-learning platforms. Ms. Donnellan enjoys collaborating with program directors, educators, and other stakeholders to develop training events and effective curricula. Her research endeavors include studying the impact of online learning on organizational behavior, as well as the integration of educational games into curriculum development. Joyce has presented nationally on e-learning topics, and on innovation in emergency preparedness training. She earned her Master’s of Science in Nursing degree from George Mason University.

  • Pamela Leonard

    Pamela Leonard brings over 15 years of experience in critical care nursing and management to her role as the Director of the SiTEL’s Clinical Simulation Centers. Pam established the first simulation center for MedStar Health and now oversees the operations of several clinical simulation centers in the greater Washington, DC and Baltimore areas. She leads the Clinical Simulation Consulting Services at SiTEL, leveraging best practices pioneered at MedStar to integrate simulation training and education programs into healthcare operations. Pam works closely with Advanced Initiatives in Medical Simulation. AIMS is a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to promoting medical simulation as a way to improve patient safety, reduce medical errors, ensure provider competency, train people to respond to public emergencies and combat situations, and reduce health care costs.

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