Gwinnett Fire EMTs, physician assistants from DeKalb Medical Center and GA-PCOM students will participate in Healthcare Simulation Week.
As Tropical Storm Irma leaves her mark on Atlanta and gratitude is due to the first responders who came to our aid, the first global Healthcare Simulation Week takes place through September 15. To mark the occasion, Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM) will complete more than 150 medical trauma enactments in its new Simulation Center—all to polish the skills of first responders and healthcare providers who deliver care.
Working with the Gwinnett Fire Academy, the faculty, staff and students of the Sim Center at GA-PCOM will run 100 simulations Thursday and Friday for the 47 academy EMTS who are training to become paramedics.
Simulations will encompass a myriad of healthcare situations including patients with cardiac issues, multiple stab wounds, secondary drownings, airway burns, collapsed lungs, gunshot wounds and strokes, among others.
In addition, 48 second-year DO students at GA-PCOM will train for the Sim Olympics, a national competition where medical students participate in healthcare simulations for the national and international titles, undergoing 12 lifelike simulations using mannequins and patient actors.
Also this week, physician assistants (PAs) from DeKalb Medical Center will participate in simulations, while GA-PCOM’s PA students will practice their skills with 40 customized cases.
Students seeking a master’s degree in biomedical sciences with a concentration in medical simulation will design and execute the simulations under the direction of faculty members.
“We couldn’t do this number of simulations without our master’s students,” said Jeff Adams, director of simulation at GA-PCOM.
The medical simulation concentration is designed to teach students how to manage and effectively run a medical simulation center. Coursework includes learning, developing, designing and running high-fidelity mannequins and a Standardized Patient program, while using virtual reality simulations and task trainers for instruction in GA-PCOM’s osteopathic medicine, physician assistant studies, pharmacy and biomedical sciences programs.
“Simulations improve the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare delivery while leading to safer, more knowledgeable patient care,” explained Michael J. Sampson, DO FAOASM, associate dean for clinical integration at GA-PCOM.
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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