Simulation Center Grand Opening at UCC-related Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children’s Hospital

Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children’s Hospital have added a new, state-of-the-art simulation center to the Oak Lawn medical campus that is changing the way physicians and associates train and learn. The simulation center features multiple simulation rooms set to mimic various medical settings, such as birthing suites, intensive care units and surgical settings. Hospital officials opened the center Jan. 30.

“We are dedicated to making our hospitals and medical centers a preferred place to work, learn and heal,” says Advocate Christ President, Richard Heim. “I’m eager to see how our associates will use the Center to learn new skills and practice familiar ones so that we can provide our community with the safest possible care.”

The Simulation Center features multiple simulation rooms set to mimic various medical settings such as birthing suites, intensive care units and surgical settings. Divided by a two-way glass window, each simulation room has its own control rooms where facilitators and simulation operators can observe and control cameras, simulators, code buttons, nurse call systems and overhead announcements. After simulations are complete, the center is equipped with debriefing rooms where learners can discuss their simulation case.

“Working in a hospital setting can often be unpredictable,” says Advocate Children’s Hospital President Mike Farrell. “The Simulation Center allows our clinicians and associates to learn a variety of skills for multiple settings and situations and prepare for high-risk, low frequency situations.”

While every situation is very real, the patients are not. They are high-fidelity simulators, able to blink, move their arms, turn blue and have bowel sounds. Even their chests rise and fall, and they have cardiac rhythms. There will be eight simulators available that mimic patients from birth to end of life. Simulators include a premature babe, newborn baby, nine-month-old baby, five-year-old child, and various adult simulators -including one that gives birth.

All associates, both clinicians and non-clinicians, will have the opportunity to use the center by setting up a consultation with the Simulation team. The team will work to develop objectives, simulation designs, goals and outcomes to meet specific needs.

“The Center is very versatile and can be utilized for both clinical and non-clinical associates. For example, the team developed a simulation program for environmental services associated where they learned how to effectively clean a room while also conversing with a patient. The Center can of course also be used for clinical purposes such as team training and complex skills training such as suture placement and difficult intubations.” says Kelley Sava, Director of Advocate Health Care’s Simulation Education Program. “The goal of the Simulation Center is continuous with Advocate’s dedication to help improve patient safety by focusing on teamwork, communication and clinical judgement. We hope you’ll stop by to see what the Center is all about.

Advocate is in the process of building Simulation Centers at each of its sites. In addition to the opening of the Oak Lawn Center, centers at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital will be open by the end of the year, with more on the way in 2019. The first center to open was at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in 2016.

These centers are part of Advocate Health Care’s Strategic Plan to improve patient safety and achieve zero events of preventable patient harm by 2020. Advocate is taking a unique approach to its Simulation Program by building Simulation Centers at each of its sites, giving associates access to high-quality training right at their fingertips. Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children’s Hospital will have the largest Center built to date by Advocate.