Novant Health's newest operating room is complete with an anesthesia cart, a surgical light and even an ultrasound machine — all to simulate the real thing as part of an expanded educational space to support physicians training at Novant Health residency programs.
The Novant Health Simulation Lab has been set up in a renovated bank, transforming the interior of the stately two-story brick building near the South 17th Street hospital campus. The lab includes the mock OR, complete with a viewing area for observing teaching physicians, and space for simulations that can be tailored to different levels of care.
"We created a multidisciplinary space that follows the continuum of care, from an outpatient exam room in a clinic to an operating room to critical care and trauma room," said Dr. Joe Pino, senior vice president of medical education for Novant Health. "Because we are a teaching hospital, we place a high value on practicing complex procedures and care in a controlled and safe environment."
In Wilmington, Novant Health already operates medical residency programs for the following specialties: family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery and psychiatry. More than 90 resident physicians are based locally across the five programs.
Because the training space in the Simulation Lab replicates the hospital setting, the space will also be available for clinical team members.
Physicians and nurses can use the lab to familiarize themselves with new equipment or run through new processes, for example. And groups such as paramedics can regularly practice their skills so they are ready for a variety of emergent scenarios.
"This space includes interactive equipment to provide our physicians and clinical trainees with realistic environments for simulation," Dr. Pino said. "It is so important to develop these skills in a simulated environment as part of the training journey. This helps ensure our new physicians are highly skilled as they enter the clinical environment, helping us to advance patient safety and high-quality care."
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