By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication

ORLANDO, Fla. – There are two upcoming classes at the VHA Simulation Learning, Education and Research Network (SimLEARN) National Simulation Center for the Out of Operating Room Airway Management or OOORAM. These two-day courses begin on July 25 and Aug. 29.

The purpose of this face-to-face training is to address the gap of qualified clinicians who can facilitate OOORAM training using simulation. This course combines didactic, small group and hands-on simulation activities so participants can develop the skills necessary to design, develop, implement and debrief simulation-based OOORAM training in their work centers. This training targets novice/aspiring and current medical simulation educators, across varied disciplines with a commitment to develop and implement OOORAM simulation-based programs at their home facility, including nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and educators.

To enroll in the July 25 course, click here. To enroll in the Aug. 29 course, click here. 

For more about the courses offered at SimLEARN, click here.

(Above) Clinicians practice on a mannequin during an OOORAM class. (VA courtesy photo)

By David J. Adriansen, Ed.D., NREMT
VISN 23 Simulation Champion
Minneapolis VA Health Care System

MINNEAPOLIS – Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 23 launched an inaugural Post-Operative Rescue Course (PORC) on April 24 at the University of Nebraska for 15 fourth-year medical students. 

Developed by Dr. Jason Johanning, VISN 23 chief medical officer, the PORC was designed to focus on mid-level provider responses to post-operative emergencies in the absence of surgical staff.

During the course, Dr. Doug Paull, with the VA National Center for Patient Safety, highlighted cases of surgical errors and how to work toward a culture of safety. This one-day course consisted of minimal lecture time before a heavy concentration of break-out sessions for targeted simulation cases. These included responding to a graft disruption with distal disruption; anaphylaxis after receiving a new medication; and responding to a patient with a wired jaw and severe nausea and vomiting.

The course was developed by Johanning as a collaborative effort with Dr. Matthew Goede and Kami Willett, RN, from the Omaha, Nebraska VA; Katie Phillips, RN, VISN 23 Tele-ICU; and Doctors Lisa Schlitzkus and Jessica Summers from the University of Nebraska. The course objectives were to prepare nurse practitioners, physician assistants and hospitalists confronted with unique post-surgical emergencies through simulation used to reinforce response training.

Evaluations reflected a positive response to this inaugural class on surgical safety, and the consensus was that additional simulation training was desired. Plans are to offer this course within VISN 23 sites before eventually launching this course nationally.

In the photo, Dr. Doug Paull, VA National Center for Patient Safety, discusses Surgical Safety during a PORC Course in April at the University of Nebraska. (VA courtesy photo)

By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication

ORLANDO, Fla. – In May, Dr. Haru Okuda, SimLEARN national medical director, received the award for the 2017 Distinguished Educator by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Simulation Academy for his contribution to Emergency Medicine Graduate Medical Education through the creation of SimWars. 

SimWars is a simulation-based competition between teams of residents that compete in various aspects of patient care focusing on critical thinking, teamwork and communication in front of a live audience. Originally created for the specialty of Emergency Medicine in 2007, SimWars has now been reproduced on four continents (North America, Asia, Europe and Australia). It has also been held at multiple national and international conferences representing diverse medical societies including neurocritical care, obstetrics/gynecology and oral maxilla facial surgery. In 2015, SimWars was published into a textbook entitled "SimWars Simulation Case Book: Emergency Medicine."

Dr. Haru Okuda (right), SimLEARN national medical director, receives the award from Dr. Torrey Laack, chair of the awards committee, Simulation Academy of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. Laack is also co-medical director of the Mayo Clinic Rochester Multidisciplinary Simulation Center. (VA courtesy photo) 

By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication

ORLANDO, Fla. – The VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC) partnered with the University of Central Florida, College of Medicine to host 120, third-year medical students in May. The purpose of the two-and-a-half-hour training was to involve the students in follow-up care of geriatric patients through Longitudinal Curricular Themes (LCT’s) which, according to the UCF College of Medicine website, “emphasize critical aspects of medicine and medical care that are not addressed in the basic core curriculum.” The LCTs addressed in this training were patient safety, medical informatics, geriatrics/palliative care and ethics/humanities.  

The students were broken up into four groups of 30 students, and then broken into groups of six. The groups were briefed and sent to five different treatment rooms. Each room conducted the same scenario.

Each student had the opportunity to conduct a follow-up assessment of a geriatric patient following a fall. Standardized patients (actors) had a specific script to follow which provided the actor’s medical history, their environment and other factors that would help lead to a possible cause for the falls. Students also discussed ethical principles in practice and applied value clarification while constructing the range of preferences for treatment with the patient. They also had to identify types of medical errors (skill-based, knowledge-based, rule-based) and determine action plans to correct, mitigate or prevent the errors. The students were then debriefed on the training. 

In the photo, Ali Mozayan, a medical student with the University of Central Florida in Lake Nona, Florida, talks with a standardized patient during training at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center. Note the camera at the top of the image. Cameras throughout the training areas record training and provide immediate visual feedback. (VA photo by Ramon 'Boty' Garcia) 

By Beth Perry, MSN, APRN-BC and
Thomas Oates, PharmD
Advanced Clinical Simulation Fellows
Providence VA Medical Center

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – When our fellowship began, we chose our project topic to be about how Veterans were assessed for Military Sexual Trauma (MST) here. Interest in this topic arose from being present for a panel discussion for returning women Veterans speaking candidly about the difficulties they faced after being discharged from the military. One topic noted during this discussion pertained to obtaining treatment at the VA for MST. 

After reviewing both the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1 and the Providence VA Medical Center (PVAMC) websites, we found there was ample information regarding MST available for Veterans, but information regarding the assessment of MST was limited for providers. 

For the rest of the story, please click here.