HYBRID SIMULATIONS LABORATORY
 
 

The Hybrid Simulations Laboratory (Hybrid Lab) utilizes a variety of simulation modalities to meet our client's curricular needs. The Hybrid Lab specializes in emergency and critical care scenarios occurring either in a hospital setting or at the point-of-injury, and can accommodate anesthesia-based training as well. Simulation assets include several full-body high-fidelity manikins, with models ranging from adult to infant, as well as a wide range of partial task trainers for anatomically specific procedures. We also use patient-actors on an as-needed basis depending on the scenario requirements.

 

The simulators provide tactile, audio, and on-screen visual feedback and can be programmed to represent patients with a wide range of conditions. Simulation-based medical education addresses the need for deliberate practice of high-acuity and low-frequency procedural skills, as it allows for intense repetition of training in specific interventions, provides opportunities for rigorous assessment paired with instructor feedback, and enables mastery learning in a safe and controlled setting. It has been demonstrated to facilitate improvements in medical knowledge, psychomotor skills acquisition, as well as nontechnical skills related to teamwork, communication, and adaptive decision-making in stressful environments.

 

Facilities include three OR/ER bays, one large multidisciplinary room, and a conference room, all equipped with audio-visual recording capabilities. Spaces within the lab are highly configurable and can be modified to address different settings, and scenarios can be augmented with special effects. The Hybrid Lab hosts events ranging from training in procedural skills to mass-casualty scenarios.


The Hybrid Lab is also home to the USUHS Department of Surgery medical illustration staff, who, in addition to specializing in educational illustrations, also have the ability to fabricate a variety of innovative 3-D models using any of several 3-D printers.