Simulated Settings, Real-World Impact

The opening of the UM School of Nursing and Health Studies Simulation Hospital, with its razor-thin threshold between simulation and the real world, promises to transform the field of healthcare.
Simulated Settings, Real-World Impact

The opening of the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies' (SONHS) new Simulation Hospital on the Coral Gables campus on September 28 signals a transformation in the education of healthcare professionals. The five-story, 41,000-square-foot, fully equipped facility will serve as a hub for students, healthcare professionals, first responders and corporate partners to design, test and master skills and technologies to transform healthcare education, research and practice.

"Today is an exceptional day for the School of Nursing and Health Studies," said UM SONHS Dean Cindy Munro. "The Simulation Hospital will replicate a hospital as well as a fully functioning healthcare system, which makes it a powerful concept, unique among simulation-based healthcare education programs worldwide. Complementing the impressive structural capacity is our faculty's range and level of expertise. Together, these resources present an opportunity to extend the reach of our education, research and service contributions to local and global communities."

UM President Julio Frenk praised the leadership of the school, past and present, who conceptualized and helped drive the hospital's completion. "Our Simulation Hospital is an exciting example of education innovation at its most tangible and humane level. Students, health professionals, and patients throughout the hemisphere will benefit from this revolutionary learning facility."

The simulation training opportunities available at the UM SONHS' new Simulation Hospital are previously unmatched in scope and capacity. Through a combination of high-tech mannequins, standardized patients (actors) and other resources, learners are challenged to respond to a variety of urgent clinical scenarios such as:

  • A patient enters the emergency department complaining of neck pain. While this first patient is being assessed, a second patient arrives by ambulance. This "trauma victim" is evaluated and rushed to one of the four hospital operating rooms for surgery. Meanwhile, an "expectant mother" is admitted to the labor and delivery suite; after "delivery" her "newborn infant" will be cared for in the nearby neonatal intensive care unit or nursery. Simultaneously, in a combination of medical-surgical hospital rooms and an apartment (home care) setting, family members are instructed on providing palliative and hospice care.

As a local resource, the simulation hospital expands interprofessional learning, licensure/certification and other continuing education opportunities in basic and advanced life support, anesthesia provision and additional specialties to nurses, physicians, emergency medical service providers, cardiac care specialists, anesthetists and other professionals. The Simulation Hospital also serves as a venue for academicians across the University to convene with industry partners to develop strategies to improve disaster response, healthcare delivery, and the patient experience. The facilty likewise aligns with UM's goals to foster global partnerships and to promote healthcare innovation across the hemisphere and beyond. Key features include:

"Patient" Care Spaces

  • Emergency Department (six beds; ambulance bay for pre-hospital care simulation)
  • Incident Command Center
  • Outpatient Clinic (six fully equipped patient exam rooms)
  • 280-Seat Auditorium
  • Labor and Delivery Suites
  • Four fully functioning Operating Room Suites
  • Critical Care Unit with redesign capability
  • Apartment for home-care simulation
  • Skills Resource Center
  • Augmented Reality Space
  • Hazmat / Decontamination set-ups

Hospital-Wide

  • Telemedicine capabilities
  • Video teleconferencing capabilities
  • Access throughout to Electronic Medical Records Database
  • Inter-professional education and training capabilities

The SONHS Simulation Hospital was built by Moss & Associates, a national privately held construction firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and designed by MGE Architects of Coral Gables. Groundbreaking took place in November 2015.

"Moss is excited to contribute to the advancement of healthcare education in Miami," said Scott Desharnais, executive vice president of Moss & Associates, in a statement. "This cutting-edge concept will greatly influence the future of nursing in our community and throughout the nation."


DEDICATION CEREMONY Media Coverage:

Daily Nurse

http://dailynurse.com/university-miami-opens-school-nursing-health-studies-simulation-hospital/

Miami Herald

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article176029071.html

Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/fl-college-nursing-simulation-20170928-story.html

Local 10 News

https://www.local10.com/health/high-tech-mannequins-help-train-nurses-at-new-south-florida-hospital

UM News Special Report on Immersive Learning

https://learning.miami.edu/01-sonhs-sim-hospital/index.html

El Nuevo Herald

http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/sur-de-la-florida/article176473156.html

EL PAIS

http://www.elpais.com.uy/vida-actual/miami-estreno-hospital-cinco-pisos-simulacros.html

South Florida Business Journal

https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2017/10/05/university-of-miami-simulation-hospital-photos.html?ana=e_me_set1&s=newsletter&ed=2017-10-05&u=DKI3IEYiS1BCbNlA5RUaFg03999f79&t=1507209338&j=78935061

 

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Alexandra Bassil | UM Communications
a.bassil@miami.edu | 305-284-1092 | @UnivMiamiNews

Rosa M. Lamazares-Romero | UM School of Nursing and Health Studies, Communications
rmlromero@miami.edu | 305-284-6255 | www.miami.edu/SONHS