About the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
The VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center was built on the campus of the new Orlando VA Medical Center, which is part of the exciting new "Medical City" campus at Lake Nona.
The Lake Nona development site includes other large clinical, education and research facilities. A variety of Federal simulation research offices are in close proximity at the University of Central Florida campus. This strategic placement facilitates enhanced opportunities for research in new simulation technologies and methods.
The VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center serves as the operational hub for coordination of all national VHA clinical simulation activities.
Fact Sheet - VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
Click here for a video about the center's groundbreaking.
Dr. Malcolm Klein, (left) a VA physician at SimLEARN and the Tampa, Florida VAMC, and Dr. Christopher Prevel, chief of surgery at the Orlando VAMC, describe the capabilities of the surgical area of the National Simulation Center to visitors while other staff members conduct the demonstration.
Activities of the VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
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Development and delivery of national simulation-based training curricula
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Creation of national policies, procedures and standards for conduct of simulation-based training across a network of VA medical facilities
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Coordination and support of Veterans Integrated Service Network and medical center simulation-based training programs and feedback on local curricula
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Train-the-trainer programs*
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Train-the-provider programs*
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Development of serious games, virtual environments and virtual patients to support health care education and training
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Simulation technology innovation, evaluation and development
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Simulation technology technical support
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Human factors evaluation and systems testing
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Advanced surgical training using virtual reality simulators
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Interprofessional Advanced Fellowships in Clinical Simulation
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Management of VHA’s Resuscitation Education Initiative, or REdI, a national simulation-based training program in coordination with the American Heart Association for internal training of Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support certifications
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National acquisition of simulation equipment
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Educational research
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Tele-Simulation training
*The center’s train-the-trainer and train-the provider approach uses the most suitable modalities of simulation to include mannequin-based simulation, standardized patients and hands-on task trainers.
The NSC is also equipped with a cardiac catheterization lab for training. Cardiac catheterization (cardiac cath or heart cath) is a procedure to examine how well a heart is working. A thin, hollow tube, called a catheter, is inserted into a large blood vessel that leads to your heart. The procedure identifies problems and allows for procedures to open blocked arteries.
One of the clinic exam rooms. Note the two-way mirror behind the exam table. Observation by training staff is essential, and these mirrors can be found in every training area.
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