Hello Sim Enthusiasts!

It is with the heaviest heart that I write the final Newsletter as the EMRA Simulation Chair. The past two years have provided amazing learning opportunities for me grow as a clinician and a liaison of medical simulation on a national level. I have been blessed to work with amazing colleagues such as Scott Pasichow, Nick Salerno, and Alex Tran, who have all received national recognition for their dedication to this close-knit community. I wholeheartedly believe that through the support of EMRA and the board members, anything is possible!

As I continue the next journey of my academic journey, I am proud to announce the new wave of the EMRA simulation committee leadership effective in April 2018 (post-CORD conference):

Chair: Dr. Aga De Castro (University of Connecticut PGY3 resident and incoming Medical Simulation Fellow at Hartford Hospital)

Chair-Elect: Shyam Murali (Texas A&M College of Medicine): MS4 headed to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center; Excited to join the SimCom team!

Vice Chair: Alex Tran (Brown University): MS3 & EMRA MSC Northeast 2 Representative

Board Liaison: Nick Salerno (LSU Spirit of Charity, New Orleans, LA): EMRA BOD Director of technology/Tech Guru and liaison to the Informatics Committee. 

Staff Liaison: April Applewood

We hope to continue the fantastic work our current team have accomplished this past year and look forward to offering new and fantastic opportunities for everyone to get involved in. We hope you will find this newsletter useful. If you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at simulation@emra.org

Xiao Chi Zhang, MD, MS

Chair, EMRA Simulation Committee

Medical Education Fellow, Clinical Instructor

Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

We are excited about LEADING this awesome NEW event for EMRA’s debut at CORD’s Academic Assembly 2018! In conjunction with several other EMRA committees, this new competition promises to give participants an educational (yet fun) experience! Check out the link for more details on how to register and WIN PRIZES!!! https://www.emra.org/events/CHAOS-in-the-ED/

Get pumped! Plenty of fantastic ideas are already flowing for the upcoming SimWARS event at SAEM in Indianapolis this May 2018. Stay tuned for concrete deadlines in February 2018 on how you can participate!

If you missed the deadline to sign up as a representative to a CORD Committee, fear not, there’s still a chance to get involved! If you are attending CORD 2018, make sure to check the event calendar to see when your committee is meeting and stop by, say hi, and get involved! As a resident, now is your chance to bring your ideas to the table, make change a reality, and sharpen your leadership skills! Consider joining the Simulation Academy by logging in to cordem.org for more details!

Included is a link on a fantastic website geared towards medical students interested in creating a simulation program. This website was developed by the creators of SIMS – Student Initiative in Medical Simulation. Please take a look on our website or through this link: http://www.joinsims.com/simulation-resources. Students, if you would like to start a simulation program or team at your school, feel free to reach out to Shyam (smurali.emra@gmail.com) or Evan Strobelt (evan.strobelt@gmail.com). 

With your support and enthusiasm, we have recently received word that our EMRA Simulation Research Grant funding has doubled! Starting in Fall 2018, the winner of this grant will receive $1000 for their research in addition to committee support to publish their study in the EM Resident Journal and as abstracts at national conferences. Our hope is to spur more interest in getting involved with simulation by supporting amazing projects. Stay tuned for details on submitting your proposal for the next award cycle! Once again, we couldn’t have done this without your enthusiasm to pursue medical simulation and educational research!

Given how productive EMRA Simulation has been over the years, we’re proud to establish a new section in our newsletter, entitled “Active EMRA Simulation Project” that showcases ongoing EMRA Simulation projects, with the hopes of encouraging involvement from more members. Check out the section below!

-April 21-24, 2018 in San Antonio, TX

-April 21st – Simulation Committee Meeting (TBA)

-April 24th, 9am-12pm – ‘CHAOS’ in the ED

-May 15-18, 2018 in Indianapolis, IN

 

In response to the need for high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during cardiac arrest, our institution recently purchased ZOLL R Series monitor/defibrillators. This defibrillator provides CPR quality metrics and displays a filtered rhythm through compressions. Purchase of this defibrillator resulted in a practice change and heavily impacted our simulation-based training courses by requiring providers to practice CPR and defibrillation in as close to the real environment as possible. Thus, our objective was to determine which commercial simulators would be compatible with the ZOLL R Series defibrillator system and its CPR feedback functionality in a simulation-based training setting.

 

Our simulation center uses primarily Gaumard Scientific and Laerdal Medical simulators ranging in size from neonate to adult. Through an iterative process in the laboratory, we evaluated if, and to what level, the CPR display metrics, filtered rhythm, and idle time display could be demonstrated with CPR on the different simulators using infant, pediatric, and adult pads.

 

Certain simulators allow demonstration and real-time practice of defibrillator functions better than others with the ZOLL R Series system when used in the context of CPR training. We have no high-fidelity infant-sized simulators that can meet the depth recommendation for chest compressions given by the American Heart Association. Ventricular fibrillation is the only rhythm that offers a filtered option. Idle time can be reliably displayed for simulators where CPR is detected.

 

When a primary learning objective for simulation-based training involves training on the ZOLL R Series defibrillator, there are a limited number of simulators and rhythms that can accurately represent its features.

Side note average cost ~ $15k (Source: MFI Medical Equipment) 

 

 

Tony Zhang, Chair, xzhang09.emra@gmail.com
Aga De Castro, Vice Chair, decastro@uchc.edu

Alex Tran, Public Relations, alextran.emra@gmail.com  

Nick Salerno, Division Liaison to EMRA BOARD, EMRA Director of Technology, nickrsalerno.emra@gmail.com