HSC’s Fort Worth Regional Simulation Center is only one of a handful in the country with the ability to project 3D images on all four walls of its simulation rooms and is the first in the state to do so. And here is the kicker: it is available for anyone to use.
UNT’s medical center has had a simulation facility for years, as do most healthcare facilities that do any education. But the newly expanded simulation center at HSC has more room to educate and an improved technology suite that serves the community more efficiently.
The newly remodeled center was planned by representatives from several stakeholder groups, including staff and students, nearly all done via Zoom during the pandemic. In addition to the different simulation offerings, the planning group thought it was important that the center be centrally located on HSC’s campus under the school’s library, sending a clear message that it is for every academic department. In fact, anyone in the community with a healthcare educational need can schedule time in the center.
The new center is now 15,000 square feet, around three times as large as the previous iteration. The center grew from 10 to 14 exam rooms and has added several rooms that can be programmed in several different settings, with 3D and 2D projections on the walls, allowing students to experience a completely immersive environment. There is nowhere else in the state with this ability.
The center’s Director of Simulation, Karen Meadows, has been a part of several simulation center launches and visited several others and knows this space is unique. “The thing that stands out is the flexibility of our space and the fact that every space within the center, including the hallways and corridors, have dual purposes,” she says. “Almost all of them are learning spaces in some way, but they may be more than one type. A debriefing room may suddenly transform into an extra simulation room when it needs to.”
The facility also has cameras that can zoom in on a procedure and be projected for an entire classroom. So rather than 5-6 students standing around an attending physician as he demonstrates how to stitch up a suture, now 40 students can watch with the same clarity. It also has virtual reality headsets, high-fidelity mannequins, and other devices replicating specific body parts.
Its staff is looking forward to meeting with groups or professors to personalize the immersive experience to meet the needs of those students. For example, they can create their immersive image or can create one to match the clinic space of a specific group. In addition, they can program software to design scenarios that fit individual groups’ needs. Potential clients may be as diverse as a group of community nurses who are adding a certification or a group of medical students working through how to deal with combative patients.
Simulation is now an essential part of medical education at all levels and provides a crucial step between the textbook and the clinic. It allows students to make mistakes, perfect techniques, and reflect on their experiences. “It prepares learners to have that psychological safety and a safe place for learning,” Meadows says. “The debriefings are where a lot of the learning takes place.”
The clinic had its grand opening last month and is now open to meet with academic and community groups.
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