The CAMC Simulation Center and trauma services coordinator, Johana McKitrick, took part in a pediatric traumatic arrest drill on Jan. 14 in the CAMC Memorial Hospital emergency department (ED).
The ED team and supporting departments had to provide quality patient care while answering all of the questions and providing updates to a very emotional mother.
These drills are necessary to prepare clinicians for care situations as well as for accreditation purposes and to maintain CAMC's trauma level status.
The ED staff expressed how real the scenario felt.
"The simulation center strives to provide realistic simulations to our staff by immersing them into the required, advanced knowledge and care needed for crisis situations," said Misty Hodel, simulation center director. "We use simulated manikins and standardized patients (actors) to add distractions to a real-life crisis."
This type of scenario is something staff and providers in this hospital don't typically see on a daily basis. That's why it's important to provide real-life experiences in a simulated setting.
The simulation center continues to provide in-situ (on-site in department) mock code drills and other education on a regular basis. These tools are a valuable resource to use with staff/department to review knowledge and communicate during a crisis situation.