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A photo of the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center. (VA courtesy photo)
By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
ORLANDO,
Fla. – The American Society of
Anesthesiologists has granted the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
Maintenance Of Certification in Anesthesiology (MOCA) certification for the training
and testing commensurate with requirements for board certification and
maintenance in anesthesiology.
According to the Guide to
Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology, “Maintenance of
Certification (MOC) is an active process of assessment and continuous
professional development that allows participants to demonstrate ongoing
competency with advances in the field of medicine throughout their entire
careers. The MOC concept originated with the American Board of Medical Specialties
(ABMS) in 1999. As a member board of the ABMS, the American Board of
Anesthesiology (ABA) has been charged with implementing MOC activities that
will assure the public that its diplomates:
Are up-to-date with knowledge of their specialties; hold unrestricted
medical licenses; are respected in their practices by peers and patients; demonstrate
professionalism as physicians; and continually evaluate and improve their
practices.”
This achievement will allow SimLEARN to provide the many anesthesiologists in VHA this required simulation-based forum for board
maintenance and certification.
"To our Veterans, this means that their VA is providing
the resources needed to insure that the thousands of anesthesiologists in VA
medical centers across the nation maintain their skills and knowledge at an
optimum level,” said Dr. Patricio Bruno, SimLEARN associate medical director
for training. “This will further improve the quality and safety of our Veterans
who undergo surgery at a VA medical center. In addition, by gaining
certification, the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center will save taxpayers
thousands of dollars by providing this resource in-house, versus outsourcing it
to expensive external MOCA Centers. "
For more information about the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center, click here.
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By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
AUGUSTA, Maine – Medical professionals are relied upon for their skill and
heart during the most trying of times. They can also provide hope when
situations seem their darkest. On a dreary evening Feb. 21, the winter weather
in Maine was wet, foggy and cold as Dr. Ronnie Marrache, chief of medical
services at the VA Maine Healthcare System in Augusta, arrived at a small,
community hospital where he sometimes cared for patients.
Though not a Veteran himself, Dr. Marrache comes from a
family of Veterans, and the VA clinician has spent nearly 17 years caring for
Veterans with a passion. The New York native had just completed refresher
training of sorts through a Fundamentals of Critical Care Support (FCCS) course
at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center in Orlando, Florida. The course
would soon prove itself useful.
For the rest of the story, click here.
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By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
ORLANDO, Fla. – A variety of simulation training courses at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC) are now available. These courses include:
Introduction to Clinical Simulation Instructor
The available dates for this two-day course are May 15, June 12, July 10, Aug. 7 and Sept. 11.
Simulation, Technology, Operations, Maintenance, and Practices (STOMP)
The available dates for this three-day course are June 19, July 17 and Aug. 28.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Clinician Training
The available dates for this two-day course are July 24, Aug. 21 and Sept. 5.
Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) Training
The available dates for this two-and-a-half day course are June 5, July 17 and 31, and Aug. 14.
Simulations for Clinical Excellence in Nursing Services (SCENS)
The available dates for this four-day course are May 21, June 18, July 23, and Aug. 13 and 27.
Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
The available dates for this two-and-a-half-day course are June 12, July 10, Aug. 7 and Sept. 11.
For details about the courses and how to register, click here.
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By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
TOMAH, Wisc. - SimLEARN’s Mobile Simulation Training Team’s (MSTT) mission is
to maximize training capacities at the local-facility level by bringing
simulation-based training to health care facilities. During April 10-12, MSTT
completed its first Musculoskeletal (MSK) Knee and Shoulder course training at
the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Tomah. This face-to-face simulation training is
designed to enhance primary care providers’ knowledge, skills and confidence to
manage common musculoskeletal (MSK) problems. In addition, this training
emphasizes appropriate resource utilization and access to specialty care.
“This
was the first delivery of the MSTT MSK course material since the pilot, and
with just of few minor adjustments to the power point presentations, the courses
went off without a hitch,” said Kristen M. Hanten, RN, MSN, simulation nurse
educator. “We had two very knowledgeable presenters, Dr. Laura Kim and Dr. Lee
Morrow, who offered didactic, demonstration and hands-on practice of the
material.”
For the rest of the story, click here.
In this image, Dr. Lee E. Morrow, MD, MSTT physician educator, is acting as
the standardized patient, while Dr. Laura Kim, MD, Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research Fellow
at VHA SimLEARN (center), performs the hands-on knee assessment. Dr. Katherine Joy L. Pica, MD,
associate chief of staff for medicine (right), and Dr.
Ayman M. Nemr, MD, both from the Tomah VAMC, observe the hands-on knee
assessment. (VA photo by Kristen Hanten)
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By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
ORLANDO, Fla. – The VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC) hosted a
VHA Safe Patient Handling and Mobility (SPHM) Facilitator Coordinator training
event March 27-29. The 188 staff who attended represented all of VA’s Veteran
Integrated Service Networks and nearly all of its major VA medical centers.
The
purpose of this training was to share best practices and develop advanced
hands-on skills in safe patient handling and mobilization, simulation, coaching
and mentoring. They also studied the evaluation and control of ergonomic
hazards, so that SPHM facility coordinators (FC) can protect staff and patients
while building effective SPHM programs that reduce employee injuries, improve
patient outcomes, and meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
expectations, as well as a new SPHM directive.
For the rest of the story, click here.
In this image, participants of the bariatric simulation station practice maneuvering a "patient" wearing a bariatric suit. (VA photo by Simon Pierre)
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By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
ORLANDO, Fla. – Staff
at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center here recently hosted an
Integrated Process Team (IPT) from the Program Executive Office. The group
of 11 VA staff was led by Kimberly Cowan-Tucker, project manager based in
Houston, and it included clinicians, contracting officers and National Center
Patient Safety (NCPS) staff.
The goal of the team was to conduct technical evaluations
for closed caption video systems and televisions (CCTVs). The information
collected allowed the team to make recommendations on the procurement of CCTVs
for visually impaired Veteran’s enrolled in VA.
For more information about the VHA SimLEARN
National Simulation Center, click here.
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