When it comes to an emergency at a hospital each type of clinician needs to understand their role. Doctors, nurses, and specialists are flooding patients rooms ensuring they receive the proper care. This is an extremely stressful situation and, unfortunately, even the most veteran hospital employees can get overwhelmed and start making mistakes. Hospitals encourage departments to constantly work to improve their skills through simulation. However, as explained by Michelle Stearns from Vermont Technical College “training happens within specific departments ‘silos’ and prevents collaboration between different departments”. Encouraging this level of collaboration early on in the healthcare education process sets a realistic foundation for our future healthcare professionals.

Copley Hospital in Vermont has found a way to encourage simulation collaboration by developing a simulation technique that continuously evolves and encourages all types of clinicians to be involved in the scenario, therefore breaking down those “silos”. Copley Hospital’s simulation begins with a high fidelity manikin going into labor and two nurses being able to diagnose postpartum hemorrhage. As the scenario evolved the patient (manikin) went into cardiac arrest, the room became packed with clinicians bringing in loaded crash carts and specialists, prepared to save a life.

Simulation allows clinicians to strengthen their skills in a training environment that is realistic. Quite often ER simulations can be used as a tool to emotionally prepare students and staff to deal with stressful or gruesome situations. Being emotionally prepared can be just as important as being intellectually prepared in a life or death scenario. A lack of emotional preparedness can lead to panic during real life scenarios which could greatly hinder skill sets.

Time and time again studies are showing how crucial simulation is to healthcare education. Copley Hospital has proven that working with simulation equipment and manikins is very beneficial. By working with all departments in a rescue scenario, not only do you develop the muscle memory from working on your own, but you develop interdepartmental communication skills that could save countless lives.