By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication

ORLANDO, Fla. – Approximately 100 VHA staff from Veteran Integrated Service Network medical facilities (VISN) participated in a “hands on” wheelchair prescription course July 24-26 at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC). It was sponsored jointly by the Rehabilitation and Prosthetics Services Program Office, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R) and the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Program Office.

This is the second year this type of training took place at the NSC. But unlike last year’s assistive technology course, this training “concentrated on wheelchair prescription including basic manual wheelchairs, custom manual wheelchairs, scooters, power wheelchairs, specialized sports wheelchairs and handcycles,” said Bill Wenninger, MS, PT, a rehabilitation planning specialist at PM&R Central Office based at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center (VAMC). He is the primary planner and coordinator of the event.

Veterans with mobility issues require specialized equipment and interdisciplinary care delivery to optimize their care and function. Clinicians in these specialized clinics need to collaborate closely with prosthetic and sensory aids service representatives to obtain the most appropriate mobility device for the Veteran. This face-to-face conference provided attendees the opportunity to handle, manipulate and program the various wheeled mobility devices to help them understand set-up, application and educational needs as they relate to Veterans with disabilities.

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(Left to right) Jim Sursley, Vietnam Veteran and former commander of the Disabled American Veterans, and Robin Blount, physical therapist with the Charleston, South Carolina VA Medical Center, discuss wheelchair issues for Veterans. (VA photo by Randy McCracken)

By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication

ORLANDO, Fla. – A full slate of simulation training courses in fiscal year 2019 are now available for which staff can now register. These courses at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC) include: 

Simulation, Technology, Operations, Maintenance, and Procedures (STOMP)

Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)

Fundamental Critical Care Support

Introduction to Clinical Simulation

Point of Care UltraSound (POCUS)

and more.

To see a full list of available courses, as well as information about each course and how to register, click here. 

By Daniel Desormeaux
Education Project Manager
VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center

ORLANDO, Fla. – VHA staff attended the Simulation, Technology, Operations, Maintenance and Procedures (STOMP) 101 pilot course, the week of June 25 at the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center (NSC). The STOMP course was recently updated with new offerings planned for Fiscal Year 2019.

The course provides participants with the baseline knowledge of local simulation program infrastructure and life cycle management of simulation assets, as well as basic hands-on skills to operate, maintain and recognize common deficiencies.

The target audience is comprised of novice personnel assigned to operate and maintain simulation assets within a facility. STOMP 101 teaches operations and maintenance of various mannequins and basic task trainers required to conduct immersive and valuable medical simulation training. This course combines small group and hands-on simulation activities where participants can demonstrate the competencies necessary to accomplish basic operations and functions within a simulated environment.

For more information about STOMP 101 and other NSC courses, click here.

In this image, students conduct preventive maintenance on a mannequin. (Left to right) Theresa Houston, nurse educator; Brenda Nielsen, training technician; Cathy Beamer, nurse educator; and James Bloodgood, STOMP 101 faculty. (VA photo by Daniel Desormeaux)

By Janet Sprehe DNP, APN-BC, CVRN, RN-BC Program Director of Simulations/REdI
Tampa VA Medical Center

TAMPA, Fla. – International collaboration brings health care providers with similar research interests and passions together to share talents and resources to help address mutual areas of concern. The James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital (JAHVH) and clinics has a mobile Simulation Bus that teaches facility staff and outside community agency staff about disaster preparedness, while it also informs the community how Veterans' hospitals can deploy their dual use vehicles (DUV) and utilize the vehicles in national emergencies.

This past spring semester, the University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing had the opportunity to host 16 nursing students from Scotland. The sixteen nursing students were in their community nursing rotation and were excited to learn about America’s perspectives and cultures, as well as what drives them.

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In this image, Dr. Carol Wilson, simulation faculty (second from right), discusses the triage color scheme for disasters with the Scottish nursing students.  (VA courtesy photo)

By Kristen Hanten, RN, MSN & Lisa Hubbard, ARNP
Mobile Simulation Training Team

OMAHA, Neb. – SimLEARN’s Mobile Simulation Training Team (MSTT) mission is to maximize training capacities at the local-facility level by bringing simulation-based training to health care facilities. During July 23–26 and July 29 – Aug. 4, MSTT completed Musculoskeletal (MSK) knee and shoulder course training at the VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan; and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) in Rhinelander, Wisconsin; and Marquette, Michigan; as well as an outreach clinic in Manistique, Michigan.

This face-to-face simulation training is designed to enhance primary care providers’ knowledge, skills and confidence to manage common MSK problems. In addition, this training emphasizes appropriate resource utilization and access to specialty care. MSK complaints account for approximately 20 percent of visits to primary care and urgent care clinics each year. The target audience for this training includes physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants which staff primary care clinics and CBOCs. However, with patients presenting more frequently to urgent care and emergency departments with MSK complaints, this training can be quite valuable for these providers as well.  

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During training, Nurse Practitioner Colleen Burton performs a knee exam to stress the medial collateral ligament on Dr. Lee Morrow, MSTT provider educator. (VA photo by Kristen Hanten)  

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System was recognized as the 100th VA medical center (VAMC) to implement the American Heart Association's new model of Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, known as Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI).

This is the newest way for health care employees to maintain competency and certification, which is required for ACLS and BLS. It combines online learning with hands-on assessments using simulation equipment. This program was piloted in July 2016 at VAMCs in Topeka, Kansas; Asheville, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh.

In this image, (right to left) Donald Anderson, Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) and Bob Godes, Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT), conduct RQI training. (VA photo by Shirley Redmond)