IU Health Simulation Center

The EM Clerkship SPA Day is a rapid-fire day of simulations and skills stations that serves as an introduction to the emergency medicine field. “There are many facets to emergency medicine and these learners may not have been exposed to them before,” explained Dr. Malia J. Moore. “We like delivering this format to help them jump in before they must perform these skills with real patients.”

Fourth-year medical students Nicole Neisen and Adhitya Balaji were part of a recent EM SPA Day. “I think it's like drinking from a fire hose,” said Balaji. “It's fun and I'm learning a lot, especially stuff I'm sure I'll apply over this next month and in my future career as an EM physician. It's a lot of information, but I think it'll set me up very well for my clerkship and beyond.”

“Today is about getting more comfortable with skills that either we haven't learned before or haven't used in a long time,” added Neisen. “It's kind of a bridge between reading a textbook and actual patient care—applying what we've learned from studying over the past couple years to real life situations, but in a safer learning environment than the hospital.”

Indiana University School of Nursing
IU Health
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.

Going to SimOps Ignite, July 15-17 in Tampa, FL? Be sure to check out a presentation by our own Sarah Heider, “Consistency is Key: How to Create a Setup Checklist that Works for Your Whole Team.”

Society for Simulation in Healthcare
IU Health
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
Indiana University School of Nursing

How Is Your Program Using Virtual Reality? We Want to Know!

The cross-professional MedBiquitous Simulation Virtual Reality Working Group representing the health professions education (HPE) continuum is developing standards and implementation resources for the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in simulation education, while also shaping a broader vision for immersive and emerging technologies in the future of learning. To ensure this work reflects real-world practice, the group has launched a survey to better understand how VR is currently being used across professions, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and beyond.

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes and explores demographics, curriculum integration, software platforms, frequency of use, types of VR experiences, effectiveness, and training and support needs. Findings will inform practical resources to be shared through the MedBiquitous Resource Hub to support planning, implementation, and decision-making across the HPE community. Please complete the survey and share it with your networks before it closes on May 29.

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

Happy ! At our simulation center, we're celebrating nurses Chassity Mays, Karen Dutton, and Julie Poore.

IU Health
Indiana University School of Nursing
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.

We are elated to share that three of our team members will present at SimGHOSTS - The Gathering of Healthcare Simulation Technology Specialists, Aug. 4-7 in Saginaw, Michigan.

"Creative Collaboration: Using Art & Design Students to Enhance Simulation Center Operations" - presented by Julie Poore and Chassity Mays

"Social Media and Simulation: Best Practices and Building Community" - presented by Paul Hansen

Hope to see you there!

Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
Indiana University School of Nursing
IU Health

Through a program with a local high school, we have had two interns in our sim center for the entire 25/26 school year. Because they both have hopes of future careers in healthcare, they selected the opportunity here.

They joined us every Monday when school was in session, reporting to mentors from our team, including Simulation Trainer Kristin Stepp and Simulation Technicians Rodney Stepp and Lora McGuire for the day’s assignments. “As they became more experienced, I gave them a list of possible tasks for the day and allowed them to choose,” explained McGuire.

“The intern program is a chance for us to connect with real world jobs and to prepare for after we graduate,” said intern Natalie Paz. “I want to be a pediatric nurse, so that’s what I’ll major in at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) next year.”

“And I want to be an ultrasound technician,” shared intern Melanie Villela who will also attend IUI in the fall.

Both interns performed simulations and learned skills in their areas of interest, as well as learning the foundations of good simulation. As they graduate, we wish them well and hope to see great things from them!

Indiana University School of Nursing
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
IU Health

Going through all the donated, expired meds to make sure they're labeled "Not for Patient Use" is an important, time-consuming task.

IU Health
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
Indiana University School of Nursing

We recently piloted a virtual reality (VR) multi‑patient simulation with eighth‑semester nursing students during their capstone rotation. “Through a study, we’re comparing students’ experiences using a VR simulation with those completing the same scenario through a high‑fidelity, manikin‑based simulation,” explained Tiffanie Nabinger, Clinical Assistant Professor at the Indiana University School of Nursing. “The patient population, scenarios, and learning objectives are exactly the same.”

She added that VR has strong potential from a resource and student capacity standpoint. “VR could offer a valuable learning experience, especially when considering volume and available resources,” Nabinger said. “However, I don’t see VR as a tactile replacement for high‑fidelity simulation—or as a replacement at all—but rather as a complementary adjunct to existing simulation modalities.”

Nursing student Adrianna Lazorchak [seen in photo] explains, “Running this particular sim with VR allows us a lot more autonomy compared to high-fidelity sims where you go in with a partner and have people watching you. So, it allows you to think on your own a little bit more.”

As part of the debrief, Nabinger asked the learners how the VR multi-patient program could be improved. “I have a meeting set up with the VR vendor to talk about how today’s event went,” she said. “As this technology evolves, there are some places where we could provide feedback. One example from today is that the students would like an opportunity to perform an actual SBAR verbally within the simulation.”

Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
IU Health

Trust and good relationships help create higher fidelity simulations. Whether that’s between an educator/facilitator and a technician or between standardized patients.

Simulation Trainer Noel Outland has done simulations at Indiana University Health for over 30 years and Simulation Trainer Michael Davis for over 13 years. The pair has done more advanced simulations together for over a decade and have known each other since college.

“This type of simulation requires a lot of improv and vulnerability,” explained Davis. “The simulation fidelity is much better because we're able to easily bounce off each other and to pick up cues from each other so well.”

“We naturally act like brothers and know what will get a reaction from each other,” explained Outland. “Those little things make it much more realistic and help us create opportunities for the learners to meet the simulations’ objectives.”

IU Health
Indiana University School of Medicine M.D./Ph.D.
Indiana University School of Nursing

Ya know it’s Monday when you have to clean blood splatter off a 10’ sim room wall. 🩸