VA awards contract to construct VHA National Simulation Center
By Gerald Sonnenberg
EES Marketing and Communication
An architectural rendering of the National Simulation Center. (Courtesy image)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded Chicago-based Archer Western/DeMaria Joint Venture VIII a $19.8 million contract June 27 to build the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center.
The center, to be located on the campus of the new Orlando VA Medical Center in the Lake Nona "Medical City" area, will serve as the operational hub for coordination of all national VA simulation-based clinical training activities.
The SimLEARN program utilizes a train-the-trainer model to quickly and efficiently prepare a cadre of qualified instructors who can, in turn, deliver world-class simulation-based clinical training at their respective field VA sites, using standardized curricula and equipment.
The facility will provide an immersive training environment by replicating actual patient treatment areas, including an outpatient clinic setting, an inpatient hospital setting with an intensive care unit, an operating room and more. Video recording of training will take place for classroom review, and multipurpose classrooms will have reconfigurable walls to provide a number of room settings.
The location of the 51,000 square foot National Simulation Center, with its close proximity to other large clinical, educational and research facilities, will provide enhanced opportunities for collaborations and research in new clinical simulation technologies and methods.
