Simulation center prepares medics for saving lives

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Robert Barnett
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) --  In this world where hospital staffs hold human lives in their hands, where do they train to function under this ultimate responsibility? When they are put under the stress of doing a job so important that even the military considers them doctors first and military second, where do they learn to operate under such intense conditions?

Military members around the world turn to the largest medical training center in the Air Force and experience hands-on training in Wilford Hall Medical Center's simulation center.

"The mission of the simulation center is to develop and provide full-spectrum medical simulation training to Air Force Medical Service personnel," said John Mechtel, chief of WHMC's Simulation Branch. "No longer do personnel stand or sit around and talk about what to do. We take training requirements and apply simulation technology to give personnel realistic hands-on training."

Using task trainers, high-fidelity mannequins and virtual-reality simulators, the simulation center provides medical people the opportunity to practice in a non-risk environment that responds appropriately to correct or incorrect interventions. This allows learning to take place without risking real patients.

"The major goal of the simulation center is to train the best warrior medics and create the safest patient care environment possible for all patients." Mr. Mechtel said.

Due to rapidly changing research, technology and environments, personnel have to be well-trained constantly. That training has to be able to readily adapt so the right information gets out about how to best treat patients.

"Medical readiness programs have been adapting rapidly due to the war on terrorism," Mr. Mechtel said. "Training issues from monthly trauma conferences are brought to the simulation center where they are researched and a simulation is written to cover the topic. These topics are quickly added into pre-deployment courses that improve the member's knowledge base."

The simulation center supports the following:
- Advanced Trauma Life Support
- Trauma Nursing Core Course
- Emergency War Surgery Course for nurses
- Critical Care Technicians Course
- Graduate medical education including pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, interventional radiology, orthopedics, oral-maxillofacial surgery, dental, cardiology, and anesthesia
- Phase II training for the Nurse Transition Program, Respiratory Therapy and Army 91C Program
- Readiness skills verification needed by physicians, nurses, medical technicians and  independent duty medical technicians
- Annual training requirements for emergency room, intensive care units, wards, clinics - Critical care training
- Mock code exercises
- New equipment training and testing such as defibrillator, rapid infusers, medical heads-up display, patient monitoring system for critical care air transport teams, intubation training using video teleconferencing systems to connect to remote locations

The simulation center is part of the Clinical Research Division, 59th Clinical Support Group. With a staff of six, they offer full-spectrum training to 59th Medical Wing personnel. The training also is used by individuals deploying to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Air Education and Training Command staff and people from the Air Force Surgeon General office and other outside users. 

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