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UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center, 2013 in Review

In 2013, the UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center (UH THSSC) staff advanced the Center’s mission of improving health outcomes in the state of Hawaii and the Asia-Pacific Region. They prepared students for careers in nursing and supported the work of local and international healthcare professionals.

UH Manoa Nursing Student Programs

UH Manoa Nursing Students participate in activities The UH THSSC completed several initiatives designed to add depth and realism to the educational experience of UH Manoa Nursing students, including HealthCAST, Crisis Management Boot Camp, and the Hawaii Inter-Professional Simulation Training for Emergency Response (HIPSTER).

HealthCAST is a new collaborative endeavor of Nursing and the Department of Theatre and Dance at UH Manoa. Theatre students play the role of patients in highly realistic simulations, giving nursing students the opportunity to practice providing care in emotionally charged situations. After each HeathCAST simulation, nursing students receive feedback from instructors that helps them to build competence and confidence, along with empathy and compassion. Nursing students report the participation of the theatre students creates a scenario that engages their emotions. They are learning to support those hearing a life threatening diagnosis and techniques to be empathetic and care for themselves.

UH Manoa Nursing Students participate in activities The Crisis Management Boot Camp experience provided opportunities for nursing students to practice their critical thinking and teamwork skills with live patient-actors, played by QMC nurses. In both the spring and fall semesters, staff from The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC) volunteered to spend a day at the UH THSSC running adult emergency simulation sessions for 6th semester nursing students. The Hawaii Inter-Professional Simulation Training for Emergency Response (HIPSTER) provides a full day of simulation exercises where students learn to work as a cohesive team in emergency situations. Students from UH Manoa Nursing, John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy, and new RNs from The Queen’s Medical Center  to train as interprofessional teams managing adult emergency events.

Simulation Services for Hawaii Healthcare Services

UH Manoa Nursing Students participate in activities UH THSSC provided consultation and training to local healthcare agencies including Castle Medical Center, Hawaii Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, and The Queen’s Medical Center. UH THSSC worked with experts from Castle Medical Center’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit on the development of a custom-designed training package called Open Heart Cardiovascular Training to support the new open heart surgical service now available at Castle Medical Center. Hawaii Pacific Health utilized the UH THSSC emergency/operating room to run simulation trainings for their new Perioperative Nurse Interns Program (P.O.N.I.). HPH interns also participated in skills training and learned OR fundamentals.

UH THSSC provided facilities and staff support to Kaiser Permanente (KP) Hawaii who conducted a series of simulation trainings for their emergency department, OB and pediatric staff. In November, nursing professionals from Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children took part in their first S.T.A.B.L.E. Program with Simulation training. They reviewed the latest developments in the care of sick newborns. The Queen’s Medical Center utilized UH THSSC resources to augment staff trainings in a variety of simulations.

Improving Health Outcomes in the Asia-Pacific with Simulation

UH Manoa Nursing Students participate in lecture The UH THSSC provided consultation and simulation training to faculty from China’s Wuhan University and Thailand’s Khon Kaen University. International efforts continued to expand in 2013, as the UH THSSC aided healthcare professionals from the Asia-Pacific in their use of simulation to achieve improved health outcomes.

In March, students and faculty from Tokyo Healthcare University collaborated with UHM Nursing students in simulation exercises and cultural exchange activities.  Groups of physicians and nurses from Japan observed the use of simulation learning techniques in America; among these was the Japan Society for Instructional Systems in Healthcare (JSISH), who visited in December.

UH Manoa Nursing Students pose for group photo As part of a grant from the Guam/ Micronesian Area Health Education Center (AHEC) program, staff from the UH THSSC traveled to the University of Guam School of Nursing and Health Sciences to provide training for nurse educators from Guam, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands in May.

Special thanks to UH THSSC partners for a productive and enjoyable year. The School looks forward to more groundbreaking collaborations in the year to come!

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