Emergency Medicine Simulation

Fellows will learn how to develop, implement and evaluate a variety of simulation-based education (SBE) programs.

Fellows will assist the Cook County Health Sim Lab staff and participate with the faculty and staff development workshops offered within the Illinois Medical District Simulation Consortium. The Cook County Health Simulation Fellowship will provide readings, direct instruction, and supervised practice for Fellows.

Educational Learning Objectives

At the completion of the fellowship, the fellow will be able to:

• Identify and develop their unique interests with regards to simulation and medical education and their career goals
• Establish successful ongoing mentoring and collaborative relationships within the Simulation community
• Design simulation-based education programs
• Develop scenarios for the use in educational programs for different specialties and medical professionals
• Develop the skills to operate the high-fidelity mannequins and procedural task-trainers
• Serve as a learning ally in mannequin scenarios
• Apply validated debriefing methods for assessment of learners
• Design instructional programs for teaching procedural skills by creating and updating procedural skills checklists and serving as instructors in a variety of skills programs
• Design checklists, rating scales and other instruments for the assessment of learners and evaluation of SBE programs
• Create other instructional materials (e.g. videos) for SBE programs
• Incorporate the ACGME Milestones into the educational initiatives offered
• Complete an administrative project for the Simulation Center
• Actively participate in Simulation-based research through direct participation in ongoing projects and development of a new research project

By the end of the Fellowship, our fellows should be well prepared to take the Simulation Educator Certification Exam offered by the Society for Simulation in Health Care.

The Simulation Fellowship requires dedicated time several days a week at the Cook County Simulation Center. Currently the center operates to serve the following groups:

• Emergency Medicine residents
• Emergency Medicine fourth year students
• Nursing
• Internal Medicine – Four Flex unit
• Family Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Medical ICU
• General Surgery
• Surgical ICU
• Anesthesia
• OB/GYN
• Trauma Surgery
• Palliative Care
• Malcolm X paramedic students
• ACLS/BLS/PALS training

Summary of Criteria for Successful Fellowship Completion

• Participation in most simulation weekly activities (approximately 20 hours/week)
• Scholarly project completion
• Administrative project completion

Comprehensive Instructor Workshop – Center for Medical Simulation

Fellows will receive the opportunity to go to the intensive immersion in health care simulation course led by experienced simulation educators. It covers all high-level elements and concepts involved in running a simulation program. The program is five days in Boston, Massachusetts and costs are covered by the fellowship. The course focuses on:

• Operating a simulation program
• Developing debriefing skills
• Preparing, building, conducting, and debriefing realistic simulation scenarios
• Avoiding simulation pitfalls
• Advancing simulation within one’s institution

Visit https://harvardmedsim.org/ims-comprehensive-workshop.php for more information.

International Meeting on Simulation in Health Care (IMSH)

Fellows are expected to attend the annual International Meeting on Simulation in Health Care, and to participate in IMSH presentations with Cook County Health Simulation Lab staff.

Conference Participation

Rocky Mountain Conference – Cook County faculty, along with faculty at Denver Health, function as key instructors at this annual conference. Coupled with skiing in the Rocky Mountains, fellows will help coordinate, design and instruct the three days of simulation-based procedure and scenario courses for attendants.

American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) – When opportunities arise for teaching and participating in lectures, workshops and/or presentations, fellows will be allowed the opportunity to go to the ACEP.

Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) – When opportunities arise for teaching and participating in lectures, workshops and/or presentations, fellows will be allowed the opportunity to go to SAEM.

Evaluation Process

We provide consistent feedback on progress. The Fellowship Director will meet with fellows weekly to discuss individual progress in meeting the objectives listed, clinical and academic requirements, research progress, as well as plans for after the fellowship year.

End of Fellowship Evaluation – The director will again meet with the fellow to discuss progress and future plans. A letter documenting this curriculum and the fellow’s efforts will be provided to the fellow and respective chairs.

Service

Fellows will practice their simulation skills by assisting in the implementation of educational programs provided at the Cook County Simulation Center. Fellows will assist and serve as co-instructors for simulation programs.

They may initiate or assist in the development of new simulations and simulation programs of interest to them, in areas such as virtual reality, ultrasound guided procedures, and telemedicine.

Each Fellow will select an SBE program or question to study. Examples include:

• Developing, piloting and evaluating a new simulation-based educational program
• Evaluating an existing SBE program (ACGME Milestone assessment)
• Comparing two SBE programs, or SBE programs using alternative instructional or assessment methods
• Gathering evidence for the validity of an SBE assessment

Cook County Health Simulation Center faculty will provide weekly mentorship and supervision of scholarship activities by our Clinical Research Coordinator – Errick Christian.  It is expected that fellows complete the exercises and readings in the online seminar series “Fundamentals of Scholarship and Study Design.” This will enable fellows and enhance the likelihood of completing a scholarly project within the one year of the fellowship. Fellows are encouraged to disseminate their work via posters and presentations at national meetings, as well as submissions to MedEdPortal or PubMed indexed journals.

An administrative project is encouraged within the year of the fellowship. Due to the relatively new use of simulation-based medical education, simulation centers, labs and programs are emerging regularly. The fellowship allows fellows to become prepared for future opportunities involving the creation of a new simulation center or improving upon a center (examples of administrative projects include website improvement/design, staff training/hiring, organization of materials or scheduling, etc.)

Fellows are considered PGY 4 or 5 employees (depending on the number of years completed in an emergency medicine residency) of the Cook County Hospital.

They receive full benefits and work about 1 shift each week – total of 4-5 per month in the Cook County Hospital Emergency Department. This allows flexibility in their schedule for time in the Simulation Center and participating in academic projects.

Time Commitment

• Beginning in July – (July-August – Orientation)
• Family leave time encouraged
• Mandatory one-month vacation time

IT Solutions

• Office Space – Each fellow has his/her own office on the 10th floor across from the Cook County Health Simulation Center
• Calendar – All events will be on Google Calendar
• Articles and References – Provided when fellowship commences