Simulation center provides edge to medics

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. David Herndon
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNEWS) --  For nearly two years, Wilford Hall Medical Center's simulation center has been preparing Airmen for real-world medical scenarios here and in the deployed setting. The center was established as a task to create a needs assessment for the incorporation of medical simulation into Air Force Medical Service training courses.

"The simulation center allows our medical personnel to practice on the types of patients they will treat in a deployed location, regardless of whether those patients are available here at our facility," said John Mechtel, simulation center program director.

The center has trained more than 1,400 people since July 2005, and it has the capability to train complex medical concepts using virtual reality simulators, task trainers and high-fidelity mannequins that respond correctly to procedures and therapies rendered by medics. The mannequins also have the unique ability to drool, cry, drain from the nose and ears and have multiple bleeding sites.

Some of the medical concepts trained at the center include critical care skills, resuscitative skills and process development.

"The center has the ability to rapidly adapt training to identify training needs down range," said Mr. Mechtel. "The emergency war surgery course rapidly adapts training to the monthly training deficiencies, if any, that are identified at the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base, Iraq."

For Air Force critical care air transport teams, the simulation center serves as a platform and aid for training students on wartime operational concepts, similar to what is provided for the emergency war surgery course.

"The simulation center is an invaluable resource to (Wilford Hall) and CCATT. Every deployment cycle we process students through the center as part of the center for sustainment of trauma and readiness skills training platform," said Capt. Shaun Westphal, the 59th Medical Wing CCATT program nurse coordinator. "We are able to use red-light conditions and actual aircraft sound to give teams a situation that is as close to reality as possible."

"When visitors tour the simulation center, they are able to see what it is like to fly in an aircraft during a CCATT mission and experience an environment most people can only read about," Captain Westphal said.

Not only does the center aid providers with wartime medical application and techniques, it also serves as a cornerstone for graduate medical education training for Wilford Hall residents.

"The center has been a tremendous addition to our internal medicine residency curricula this year," said Maj. (Dr.) Jason Stamm, the Internal Medicine Residency Program director.

"There is a growing push in graduate medical education to have residents practice high-risk events, such as invasive procedures and codes, in a simulated environment, with concordant instruction, demonstration and feedback," Major Stamm said.

The simulation center was created as a result of on-going partnerships with Wilford Hall, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Peter Winter Institute for Simulation and Education Research.

Mr. Mechtel said the partnership was created by a congressional grant from U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania to develop diabetes, telemedicine and simulation programs in Pennsylvania and the Air Force Medical Service. The simulation center was created at no cost to Wilford Hall because of the congressional grant. Equipment and supplies were obtained from the Defense Reutilization and Management Office.

"Teaching and performing in the simulation center has greatly improved our doctors, nurses and technicians' ability to perform their war-time missions," said Staff Sgt. Michelle Ransdell, a 59th MDW cardiology technician. "In the six years that I've been (here), I have not seen better training with simulation equipment."

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