Simulation Pulse

The content pack includes a brand new Environment Setting that you see here, and is useful for creating an unlimited range of simulation scenarios, addressing social determinants of health, EMS scenarios, including multiple casualty incidents and more.

Dr. Dee McGonigle from Adtalem has agreed to join us for a new upcoming episode of the Simulation Pulse where we’ll be talking about this content pack, as well as the first of our exciting new multi-purpose patients.

The Scene Template you see here was created using the new Curbside Community content, as well as patients and assets from other packs.  It will available to visit from the Acadicus Commons, and can be imported into your own room.

Jeff Zielinski began his career as an Emergency Medical Technician in 2009 serving patients across the northern Indiana. Jeff explored each facet of his EMS organization starting in the Ambulance as an EMT then as a Field Training Officer. Jeff was deployed to New York during Hurricane Sandy, arriving before the hurricane made it to land, sheltering through the storm then aiding the recovery after the strike.  Shortly thereafter, Jeff began his role as a Patient Advocate for his organization. Helping patients navigate their insurance and benefits while advocating for patients lacking resources and social safety nets.

Through his resource network, Jeff was position to aid the growth of his organization and began his role in Business Development and ultimately promoted to the Director of Business Development. With these skills Jeff accepted the role as Chief Operations Officer at inHealth Integrated Care beginning on day 1 of the new organization who is now proudly 5 years in business. With bases in Northwest Indiana, inHealth aimed to not only provide Advanced and Basic Life Support Ambulance service, but also was one of the first in the state of Indiana to begin a Mobile Integrated Health Initiative; providing EMS care in patients homes to prevent unnecessary hospital visits.

inHealth provides disaster relief around the country during hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters and was selected to be deployed to New York during the first wave of COVID-19, when New York was in a State of Emergency with more patients suffering during this time then beds and providers available to serve them. Jeff is focusing on bringing the local medical community closer in the VR space and providing the mechanism for providers across disciplines to work with each other who may have never had previous means to do so.

Bill has been in EMS since 1997 and EMS Education and simulation since 2008. Bill is a graduate of St. Petersburg College with an A.S. in EMS and an A.A. in Liberal Arts. He attended the University of Florida where he earned his B.S. in Telecommunication in June of 2007. Bill earned his Master’s in Public Health from the University of South Florida in December of 2012. Bill is currently leading efforts to help faculty learn and utilize technology, including Virtual Reality, in all aspects of education at Madison College in Madison Wisconsin.

Bill’s current title is Faculty in Academic Technology in the Madison College Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL). Bill continues to be involved in EMS Education on the Local, State, and National level.

Dr. Slamon completed medical school in 2001 at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia PA. He then completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at the Nemours/duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington Delaware. In addition he serves an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Clinical track at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. From 2007 until June 2011 Dr. Slamon worked at the University of Florida as an attending in the 24 bed mixed cardiac and pediatric intensive care unit. He also served as the fellowship program director for his final two years in Gainesville, overseeing 2 fellows per class. He then returned to duPont in July of 2011 serving as the fellowship director and overseeing the expansion from a one fellow per year program to the current 3 fellow per year, 9 fellow program.

Dr. Slamon is an active member of SCCM and the AAP. His research interests are varied but include a strong track record of education and partnership with fellows and junior faculty. Analysis of innovative ways to deliver care are of particular interest. Recent projects include a study of physician biometric parameters using wearables during live critical care activities, a similar biometric project in simulation, use of a digital stethoscope to diagnose pediatric murmurs remotely, review of rapid response activations using telemedicine technology, parameters needed to create a viable pediatric eICU, and he is currently working with a new device to help diagnose pediatric heart failure using an artificial intelligence analysis of ECG/Phonocardiograms. His most recent undertaking involves his partnership with Acadicus to improve immersive medical training through the use of virtual reality simulation.

• Dr. McAdams is interested in using art as a way to help kids pay for school, medical services, and food
• Didn’t grow up as a gamer, but as an educator, he sees a lot of gaps in the way we teach, and the effectiveness of it.
• VR is a contemporary approach that could memorable learning – help lock information into the memory.
• Traditional neonatal simulations are quickly forgotten, but he can remember real life resuscitations he was at.
• VR experiences can be easily remembered later
• Plastic baby mannequin doesn’t seem real, so they’re very aware of it, people have a hard time absorbing the learning experience
• 3D scan of delivery room at hospital, operating room – used to develop the virtual reality scene in high definition – side-by-side comparison of photo vs. virtual scene
• Your brain thinks it’s real – important to trigger memory, allows for better learning, doesn’t feel as artificial
• VR scene can’t be too empty – needs details to improve immersion
• Importance of audio – conversations, noise, alarms.  If you don’t have that, it doesn’t seem as real.  Where is the threshold?  Otherwise you focus on what’s not there.
• Simulating life, not simulation.
• VR simulation can be tailored to the learner.  This sim is geared toward people with a little more experience, but it could be oriented toward someone newer.
• Patients and family members can be manipulated with the Simulation Manager.
• The focus is on the activity, not just how I look as an avatar – I’m wearing a spiffy hat, etc. doesn’t matter.  It’s more about the patient, family members.
• Demo of ambient sound boards, assets, environment, stethoscope, PIP/PEP adjustments, mask position, bp cuff
• Visualizing the airway, using the laryngoscope – when you intubate, you can see the vocal cords
• Not focused on haptic touch, but knowing what to do – situational awareness, communication skills, critical thinking.
• Can quiz participants on what size endotracheal tube to pick?  How far would you put it in?  What size blade would you use?  How would you know that it’s in correctly?
• It’s about the dialogue and conversation about it – when the alarms are on, and the sounds are crazy, it’s good that it stresses you out so you can practice it, and get used to the sequence, and develop a comfort level.
• If you have an expert who really wants to challenge a participant, you can increase the complexity
• Family members in VR.  You would often have the partner waiting to hear how things went.  These are often unexpected, urgent / crash sections.  Bewildered parent is waiting, and you need to communicate to them – simulate with really good actors, really stressed out people, or someone who doesn’t speak English, to practice and make mistakes so when you have the same conversation in real life, you can communicate in a good way.
• Dad’s stressed out, he’s worried, the baby isn’t doing well or dies – how do you explain that?  It can be traumatic for the health provider, not just the parent.
• Prenatal counselling, pre-delivery consult, then post-delivery, then in the NICU, discussions there – when they’re discharged home and have follow-ups.  So many opportunities to say, “What would the learning experience be now?”
• Diversity, equity and inclusion – why not train and become aware in a safe environment, with actors who are from different backgrounds, and play that role.  What opportunities are there for learning?
• VR could be a very powerful tool to practice these things, and absolutely affects a person’s experience in the hospital.
• So many surreal juxtapositions in medicine that are very difficult to simulate but could be done virtually