"Senior Nurse Anesthesia Students involved in simulated OR code"
Welcome to the VCU Center for Research in Human Simulation web page!
Our Center is located on the 11th floor of West Hospital on the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University and was built in the summer of 1998. The facility occupies over 1300 square feet of space in the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, within the School of Allied Health Professions.
Features of the Center include two full-body Patient Simulators, MedSim and Laerdal, which can be used in an operating room, critical care or emergency medical services settings. The recent addition of the MPL/Laerdal SimManä Universal Patient Simulator allows for simulation training at remote locations and offers unique airway anatomy that provides health care providers the opportunity to practice flexble fiberoptic skills.
State-of-the-art audiovisual equipment enable instructors to record training sessions and provide detailed debriefings for simulation participants. The facility also houses an adjoining classroom/conference room with closed-circuit television and projection screen that offers live viewing from the simulation lab. An intercom system has been added to allow classroom participants the ability to communicate directly into the simulation center thus allowing for immediate interaction during live sessions. A study area is located within the facility for participants to work on computer-based educational programs.
The Department of Nurse Anesthesia has also acquired the Immersion Medical PreOp Endoscopy Simulator that delivers realistic, procedure-based training of fiberoptic skills and bronchoscopy procedural cognitive and motor skills. The Immersion simulator hardware interfaces with a PC device that demonstrates 3-D interactive models.
The CRHS offers tours and information for groups interested in simulation training and education.
The Center can be configured to resemble any clinical setting; including the OR, PACU, ICU, ER or pre-hospital setting. Ancillary equipment in the Center includes both Drager and Ohmeda anesthesia machines, Baxter and Imed multi-chamber infusion pumps, HP monitors, difficult airway cart with multiple alternative airway management devices, Malignant Hyperthermia Cart, Code Cart and defibrillator, OR surgical equipment and supplies, ICU bed, ER stretcher, neonatal isolette and pre-hospital care equipment.
The MedSim Patient Simulator is a high fidelity training device that offers the opportunity to perform realistic medical scenarios for clinical training. The mannequin has palpable pulses, audible heart and breath sounds, a realistic airway and lungs which exhales carbon dioxide. Additional trauma upgrades allow the simulator to move his arms, blink his eyes and respond to pain as a patient would. His eyes respond to hypoxia, medications and light. The mannequin’s special chest allows CPR and the insertion of chest tubes and PA catheters for use in training scenarios. The simulator responds appropriately to over 80 different drugs. With the Drug Editor, the instructors can add new drugs or agents to the program. The Center offers the ability to operate the simulator at bedside or a remote location with the use of a new Remote Pen Tablet computer.
The Laerdal SimManTM Universal Patient Simulator is capable of monitoring Non-invasive Blood Pressure, EKG, CO2, Respiratory Rate, Temperature and Pulse Oximetry. The simulator has a variety of heart, breath, bowel and vocal sounds. This assortment of sounds allows for the development of numerous scenarios that can be tailored specifically to the simulation participant’s level. A unique feature of the SimMan is the portability of the system. A laptop computer interfaces with the patient simulator and the remaining hardware can be placed in a portable duffle bag. Such portability allows for simulation training in remote locations.
"Ms. Hotchkiss (left) and Dr. Fletcher (right) demonstrate epidural techniques"
First Year Students:
- Orientation to the Operating Room Environment
- Clinical Enrichment Workshops
- Utilization of Anesthesia Equipment
- Patient Assessment: Pre- and Post-operative Patient Interviews
- Induction Sequence Workshop
- Invasive and Non-invasive Monitoring Labs
- OR Record Keeping Lab
- Alternative Airway Management Course
Second Year Students:
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Advanced Clinical Seminars
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Anesthesia for Cardiac Bypass
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Pulmonary Embolism during Orthopedic Surgery
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Airway Management and Care of Multiple Trauma Patient
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Airway Management and Care of Trauma/Burn Patient
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Anesthesia for OB Crash during C-Section
Third Year Students:
- Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management Course - NRSA 607
- This 15 Week Semester course that intensely covers
the advanced concepts and principles of anesthetic management with an
emphasis on crisis management. Provides
graduate nurse anesthesia students with hands-on experience in managing
crisis situations, which includes overseeing the environment, equipment and
operating room team members.
Continuing Education Programs
Facility Orientation Guide
Facility Orientation Slideshow
School of Allied Health Professions & The University Community & VCU Health System
VCHUS RNs manage a "patient" in neurogenic shock during the "Orientation to Acute Care" course
- VCUHS Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology "Conscious Sedation and Patient Simulation" - August 2001
Community Service
- Richmond Public Schools
- Partnership in Mathematics and Science (PIMS) – 2001 / 70 Middle School students attended a ½ day event hosted by CRHS. The program offered students the integration of simulation with the sciences topics that were taught in the P.I.M.S. summer program
Professional Service
First Annual Crisis Resource Management Workshop for Graduate Nurse Anesthesia Students from the Northeastern University / New England Medical Center - March 2001 (Below)
Research
Simulation research for "Mars Society Second National Mars Symposium" sponsored by NASA, Colorado, August 1999. Demonstration of varied levels of health care providers responding to medical crisis in space. Work presented by C. Marsh Cuttino, MD, ER Department, Medical College of Virginia Hospitals.
"Residents simulate triage of injured astronaut while located on Mars Hab Module"
Research Posters
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Assessing the authenticity of the human patient simulation experience. AANA National Meeting, San Francisco, Calif., August 2001. Biddle, Hotchkiss, Fallacaro
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Enhancing CRNA clinical instructor teaching effectiveness: The development of high fidelity trigger films W. Hartland, PhD., CRNA, C. Biddle, PhD., CRNA and M. Fallacaro, DNS, CRNA Presented at the AANA Assembly of School Faculty, Tampa, Florida, February 2001
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"Content Analysis of the Computerized Full-Body Patient Simulation Experience", M. Hotchkiss, MSNA, CRNA; C. Biddle, PhD., CRNA and M. Fallacaro, DNS, CRNA. Presented at "Society for Technology in Anesthesia Meeting, Jan 2001, Pheonix AZ.
- "Assessing Graduate Nurse Anesthesia Student Performance: Use of an Experiential Model in Anesthesia Learning and Outcome Measurement", M. Hotchkiss, MSNA, CRNA and M. Fallacaro, DNS, CRNA. Presented at "Society for Technology in Anesthesia Meeting, January 2001, Pheonix AZ.
Grants:
Mimi Hotchkiss, MSNA, CRNA ; Director, Center for Research in Human Simulation
Jennifer Hieptas SRNA; Graduate Teaching Assistant, CRHS
Department of Nurse Anesthesia Simulation Faculty:
Donna Johnson, CRNA, MSNA
*designates Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management (ACRM) certified instructors
Adjunct Simulation FacultyDebbie Blizman, MSNA, CRNA
Belinda Cook MSNA, CRNA
Cory Davis, MSNA, CRNA
David Esmay, MS, CRNA
Nadine Fallacaro, MS, CRNA*
Joanne Fletcher, CRNA, Ed.D*
Mario Grasso, MSNA CRNA
Donna Johnson, MSNA, CRNA
DeeDee Karanian, MSNA, CRNA
Charles Reese, CRNA, PhD*
Nancy Stelling, MSHA, CRNA
Katherine Tuggle, MSNA, CRNA
Hotchkiss, M. "AANA Journal Course: Update for nurse anesthetists – Full-body patient simulation technology: Gaining experience using a malignant hyperthermia model", AANA Journal, 69(1) 59-65.
Fallacaro, MD & Crosby, F.
"Untoward Pathophysiologic Events: Simulation as an Experiential Learning Option to
Prepare Anesthesia Providers." CRNA: The Clinical Forum for Nurse Anesthetists,
Vol 11, No. 3 (August) 2000: pp. 138-143.
- Fletcher, JL. "AANA Journal Course: Review for nurse anesthetists – ERR WATCH: Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management from the nurse anesthetist perspective". AANA Journal. 1998; 66(6):595-602.
- Fletcher, JL. "Clinical Briefs: Anesthesia Crisis Resource Management Training". Anesthesia today. 1996; 7(2).
- Fallacaro, MD. "The utilization of full body patient simulation: A preferred method to prepare anesthesia providers in the management of select untoward pathophysiologic events." (Abstract) AANA Journal. 1998; 66(5):492-493.
- Hotchkiss,MA, Fletcher,JL, Howell, DL, Fallacaro MD. "A Community Partnership Program employing human simulation; Virginia Commonwealth University, Department of Nurse Anesthesia and Richmond Public Schools" AANA Journal 1999, 67 (5): 449..
- O'Donnell,J, Fletcher,Jl, Dixon,B, Palmer,L. "Planning and Implementing an Anesthesia Crisis Resourse Management Course". CRNA: The Clinical Forum for Nurse Anesthetists, a(2)1998:50-58.
Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Anesthesiology- http://views.vcu.edu/~aneweb
Virginians Improving Patient Care and Safety
University of Rochester Center for Medical Simulation – http://www.anes.rochester.edu
Society for Technology in Anesthesia – http://gasnet.med.yale.edu/societies/sta/
Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation – http://gasnet.med.yale.edu/societies/apsf/
University of Texas-NASA Research Center – http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/helmreich/nasaut.htm
Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences- http://www.usuhs.mil/psl/
Stanford University- http://pkpd.icon.palo-alto.med.va.gov/simulator/simulator.htm
Harvard University- http://www.harvardmedsim.org/
Department of Nurse Anesthesia
School of Allied Health Professions
1200 E. Broad St.
box 980226
Richmond, VA 23298
Updated on 10/28/2002 by Michael Fallacaro