USU Simulation Center

June 17, 2010 - Students and faculty at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, or USU, have some of the world’s best medical resources available to them. In addition to the traditional education they receive in their course work, students are provided hands-on simulation training at the USU’s National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center, a 20,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility located in Silver Spring, Md.

On Monday, Maryland Congressman Christopher Van Hollen (D) helped the Simulation Center celebrate its tenth anniversary with a special tour and presentation. Van Hollen a strident supporter of the Simulation Center, represents the 8th District of Maryland, where USU is located.

The Simulation Center affords students the opportunity to practice the delivery of medicine in traditional and non-traditional settings alike. The Wide Area Virtual Environment, or WAVE, is among the most valuable tools used for this purpose, as it is uniquely designed to simulate field situations.

For example, the WAVE can simulate an attack on the streets of Baghdad, in which a soldier has to be immediately treated, then flown out of the area and operated on. The WAVE screens project most of the visuals during these trainings, while human participants, mannequins and other props are included within the setting for a realistic effect.

Because medical care is often administered in teams during field operations, groups of 15 to 20 students can train in the WAVE at any one time and practice their field medical skills.

Students at USU also have an opportunity to practice their clinical skills in real time at the Simulation Center. Standardized patients, played by actors, interact with the students to help them practice their interpersonal, professional and diagnostic skills. By the time they graduate, students at USU will have participated in approximately 40 different simulations.

The Simulation Center, now entering it’s 10th year, continues to be an incredible resource for medical and nursing students at USU, as well as interns and residents.