Simulation showcases collaboration, training, innovation at Milwaukee VA
Sept. 16-20 is Healthcare Simulation Week, and the importance of collaboration, innovation and training were all on display during a recent simulation exercise at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.
The simulation — involving a woman who gives birth at home and then comes into the Emergency Department with post-partum bleeding — incorporated 3D printing, the Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant residency training program and the VA’s emphasis on women’s health.
EMPA resident Josh Capra was the trainee. During the simulation, he learns that the woman’s placenta needs to be delivered.
However, the woman is having trouble pushing out the placenta, so Capra has to “gently coax” the placenta out.
That’s where 3-D printing came into the picture.
“They created a placenta with an attached umbilical cord to make it as lifelike as possible,” said Dr. Carolyn Krech, who heads the EMPA program.
“It was pretty realistic,” Capra said. “I could feel it, take it out and assess it. It was an invaluable experience.”
And that’s important, said Emergency Department physician Dr. Matt Laudon, noting that in simulation exercises there’s always a measure of disbelief.
“You need to buy into it, so the goal is to make it as real as possible, which enhances the fidelity of the simulation,” he said.
Emphasis on women’s health
The simulation was also part of VA’s ongoing drive to provide better health care for female Veterans.
Women are the fastest-growing demographic for the military and Veteran community, and Krech said there is a “gap of knowledge” in VA when it comes to women’s health.
“We need to do everything we can to bridge that gap,” she said. “Every woman is nervous to come into the emergency department for a (gynecological) concern, so it’s our job to make them as comfortable as possible,” Krech said.
Laudon agreed, noting that while the female Veteran population is growing, it’s still predominantly men who are seen in the ED.
“It’s something we know could be done better, and we need to focus on it and make an educational push in that direction,” he said.
Borck said building women’s health simulations is important, especially for the ED staff, because they “have the largest possibility of seeing women.”
“We have great simulations for all Veterans, but it’s nice to incorporate some that are strictly for women so they can get the well-rounded educational experience.”
Collaboration is key
All involved in the simulation agreed that collaboration involving multiple departments across the Milwaukee VA is key to ongoing education.
Capra’s simulation exercise prompted him to get more involved with 3-D printing, working with the team on models for ultrasound cardiac examinations. Krech said that will be incorporated into further ultrasound education.
“It’s been a really cool project,” Krech said. “It really incorporates simulation, education and 3-D printing symbiotically.”
Dr. Katie Schultz, who heads the 3-D printing team, agreed, saying the challenge was to make the heart models as realistic as possible, inside and out.
“It was really just a great coming together of multiple disciplines,” Schultz said.
Such collaboration makes a “really rich, robust simulation that sets them up for success in the future,” said simulation specialist Jean Borck. “It really is a team. It takes all of us.”
The Simulation team: Always learning
Just as health care professionals are constantly learning new skills, members of the Simulation team at the Milwaukee VA are also focused on continuing education.
In July, simulation specialists Celso Benitez and Trisha Wendorf attended the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s SimOps conference in Colorado.
Attendees learned best practices, connected with their fellow simulation specialists and learned about the latest technology and products in the simulation industry.
“It’s a great opportunity to network and learn,” Benitez said. “We share information, taking what you can to implement at your home facility.”
“It was nice to get together and see what everybody else is struggling with and what they’re doing to overcome it,” Wendorf said.
Benitez said the conference reinforced the importance of simulation, especially regarding making the simulations as realistic — and as effective — as possible so that the learning hits home for the participants.
“If we’re taking employees who are providing care and bringing them up here, we have to make sure” it is worth it, Benitez said. “In turn, the units need to understand that we’re here. We’re a tool … that can help them.”