History of the Center
The Center for Simulation and Research at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center began in 2001 under the title of Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C) Education program. The program began in and remains associated with the Division of Emergency Medicine at Cincinnati Children's. Initially the program provided training and continuing education programs to pediatric emergency care providers, including local prehospital care providers and agencies. The four-member team provided a variety of advanced life support courses including:
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support Courses (ACLS)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
- Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP)
The first simulator, a METI Pediatric HPS, was purchased in April 2002. That year the team developed scenarios and learned how to use the simulator. When the 5,000 square foot EMS-C education center opened seven months later, it featured a large classroom with space for breakout sessions, a simulation lab and a control room.
In 2002, the human patient simulator was introduced into the PALS Course. The program grew as various clinical units scheduled simulation time for care teams. The Critical Care Air Transport Teams of the United States Air Force also began utilizing the simulation lab. Total course participants increased from 2200 in 2002 to more than 3600 attendees in 2006. In 2007, the decision was made to expand the center beyond EMS-C education and incorporate simulation to the patient safety efforts throughout Cincinnati Children's.
Beginning in December of 2007, EMS-C Education Program formally became the Center for Simulation and Research to better reflect the work of the center. The expanded center opened in January 2008 with more than 13,000 square feet of capacity. The newspace provided an additional classroom, three debriefingt rooms, six patient rooms and three operating suites. This expansion provided additional resources including six new simulators, additional patient care equipment, as well as a state of the art digital recording and review system.
The Center for Simulation and Research provides educational opportunities using simulation for all health care providers at Cincinnati Children's. Those participating in simulation education include physicians -- attendings, fellows and residents -- and patient service members including nurses, respiratory therapists, paramedics and patient care assistants from multiple hospital units. Students from local schools of nursing and prehospital care training programs also participate in education sessions.
