UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Simulation Center to host Open House

Grand Forks, N.D.—The Simulation Center at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) will host an open house on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event, in which guests can participate in self-guided tours and experience simulation in action, is open to everyone.

Simulation, or the creation of realistic circumstances in order to teach skills and enhance competencies, is rapidly changing the face of healthcare education. For this reason, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, of which the Simulation Center at the SMHS is a member, is sponsoring the first ever Healthcare Simulation Week, to be held Sept. 11-15, 2017. The purpose of Healthcare Simulation Week is to raise awareness about the importance of health care simulation in improving performance and reducing errors in patient care.

The SMHS Simulation Center is a hands-on simulation training facility for multidisciplinary health care providers. The state-of-the-art space offers a clinical setting where health professionals can actively apply their knowledge in simulation, observation, and debriefing of real-life patient scenarios, with the goal of improving patient safety and care. The innovative facility is the only one of its kind in North Dakota; its mission is to use interactive simulation in teaching, educating, and providing an arena for research in health care.

“Simulation has changed the way we teach students. Before, we learned on patients. Now, we learn on incredibly lifelike manikins, where harm can’t be done. That way, when students get to the real patient, they have significantly more experience and therefore are better prepared,” said Dr. Jon Allen, director of the UND SMHS Simulation Center. “We’re very excited to be part of the inaugural Simulation Week. The sim technology here has already enhanced the skills of health care providers across the state—from physicians and nurses to first-responders.”

A Simulation In Motion-North Dakota (SIM-ND) mobile education unit, a custom-built, 44-foot long learning lab on wheels, will also be on-site for tours and to provide information regarding the SMHS statewide simulation program. SIM-ND units bring simulation education to all third-year medical students training on SMHS campuses away from Grand Forks. Units also provide health care education to rural areas of North Dakota so emergency responders and other providers can upgrade their skills closer to home rather than leave their service areas for training.

The open house will be held at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 1301 N Columbia Rd. Guests may park in the School’s main south lot. Simulation Center staff will be available to answer questions and provide an interactive experience during guests’ self-guided tours. Light refreshments will be served.

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Brian James Schill
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni and Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.und.edu