Simulation Program

"An immersion in the reality of pediatric patient care"

Nationwide Children's Simulation Program provides hands-on experiential learning utilizing high-fidelity human patient simulators.  Our program serves all staff including: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, paramedics and patient care assistants.  Our outreach education programs include simulation experiences for EMS providers, Army Reserve and Neonatal Services.

Our simulation program has a dedicated staff including Medical Directors for our Simulation Center and In Situ Simulation Programs, a Simulation Coordinator and several simulator operators and facilitators who work together to develop and implement educational programs.

Our Mission Statement

"We will improve patient safety and quality of care through educational programs based on medical simulation and task training."

We put this into action by:

• Evaluating and enhancing system preparedness for low frequency/high risk events
• Developing and implementing competency-based training and assessment measures for individuals and teams
• Improving early recognition of patients at risk for adverse outcomes
• Increasing the number of opportunities for nurses, attending physicians/fellows/residents/interns, pharmacists, respiratory therapists and other staff to participate in skills-based learning

Simulation Center

Our simulation center is located at 255 E. Main Street.  We have both infant and pediatric simulation rooms.  Each room is modeled after a patient's hospital room and is fully equipped with A/V equipment for enhancing the education experience.  We also have an adjacent conference room to provide a separate area for debriefing and additional educational activities.

All sessions include practice with the Nationwide Children's safety initiative: Zero Hero Essentials.  The principles of this program include:

• ARCC- Ask a question, Request a change, voice a Concern, Chain of command
• STARR- Stop, Think, Ask, Review
• SBAR Communication- Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommended intervention
• 3-Way Communication- 1 or 2 clarifying questions (closed- loop communication, read-back)
• Standardized Handover
• QVV- Qualify, Validate, Verify
• Stop and Resolve

Programs held in the simulation center include: fellow/resident/intern skills training, orientation sessions for newly hired nurses and respiratory therapists, nursing continuing education courses and nursing skill training.

In Situ Simulation

Our In Situ program takes simulation experiences to the learner in their work environment.  A mobile high fidelity simulator is taken to in-patient units, intensive care units and off site locations.  Multi-disciplinary sessions are utilized to train staff in our START program (Simulation Training for Assessment, Resuscitation and Teamwork) and resident and fellow training.  All sessions include practice with our "Zero Hero Essentials".

Simulation Program Staff

Simulation Coordinator
Melanie Martin, RN, MS
Melanie.Martin@nationwidechildrens.org

Simulation Center Medical Director
DJ Scherzer, MD
Daniel.Scherzer@nationwidechildrens.org

In Situ Simulation Medical Director
Tensing Maa, MD
Tensing.Maa@nationwidechildrens.org

Outreach Education Manager
Terri Long, RN, BSN
Terri.Long@nationwidechildrens.org

Faculty
Richard Fernandez, MD - Cardiothoracic Intensive Care
Jonathon I. Groner, MD - Trauma Medical Director
Carla Coffey, RN, BSN -Trauma Services
Angela Blankenship, NP - Heart Center
Sherri Kovach, RN, BSN - EMS Outreach Coordinator
Justin Cole, PharmD, BCPS - Pharmacy Educator, Department of Pharmacy
David D'Antonio - Information Services