The VA’s Secret Weapon: A $43 Million Simulation Center Where Doctors Train on Mannequins That Give Birth
In a world where medical innovation constantly pushes boundaries, the Veterans Affairs (VA) is not just embracing new technologies, but also finding creative ways to ensure their safe and effective implementation. The answer? A massive, state-of-the-art simulation center called SimVET, a $43 million facility equipped with operating rooms, intensive care units, and an outpatient clinic – all without any real patients. Located near Orlando International Airport in Florida, SimVET serves as the VA’s primary hub for training front-line healthcare workers, allowing them to practice procedures, pilot new technologies, and even test responses to emergencies like opioid overdoses, all in a controlled environment. This unique approach to medical training is not just a novel experiment, but rather a powerful example of how simulation in healthcare is becoming increasingly sophisticated, helping health systems evaluate and adopt new innovations.
Key Takeaways:
- SimVET is a $43 million, 53,000 square foot facility that serves as a training ground for VA healthcare workers, allowing them to practice procedures and test new technologies in a safe environment.
- The center features realistic operating rooms, intensive care units, and an outpatient clinic, complete with state-of-the-art equipment and even sophisticated mannequins that can simulate various medical conditions and even give birth.
- SimVET’s emphasis on realism provides a valuable platform for healthcare workers to "fail safely", allowing them to identify and address potential issues before implementing new practices within actual patient care settings.
- The center has helped develop a new nationwide “surgical emergency team” code called “code SET,”** designed to streamline responses to unexpected complications during surgery.
Simulating Reality: An Unprecedented Training Ground
The Veterans Health Administration serves 9 million veterans across the nation, with each medical center equipped with its own simulation program. SimVET, however, stands out as the largest simulation center within the VA, and one of the largest in the country. Its extensive facilities include two fully staffed operating rooms equipped with standard medical equipment, even down to realistic anesthesia machines and mannequins that respond realistically to anesthesia.
Dr. Scott Wiltz, the medical director of the VA’s Simulation Learning, Evaluation, Assessment and Research Network (SimLEARN), emphasizes the center’s commitment to simulating real-world scenarios. "The goal is to get as close [to] a level of realism as possible, " he explains.
Beyond traditional simulation methods like using professional actors or virtual reality headsets, SimVET takes it a step further, creating a truly immersive environment that mirrors a real hospital. "The diversity of the space that we have, the realism that it brings, it really gives you the complete feeling that you can actually take care of patients in that building," Wiltz states, adding, "And we do, it’s just that our patients are mannequins and actors."
A Space For "Safe Failure" and Innovation
SimVET’s unique approach provides a crucial platform for "safe failure". Healthcare workers can test new procedures, refine their responses to complex medical situations, and evaluate the effectiveness of emerging technologies, all without any potential risks to real patients.
Amanda Borchers, a patient safety manager at the Lexington VA Medical Center in Kentucky, was part of a surgical emergency team that participated in a training session at SimVET. Her team wanted to improve their response to unexpected complications that can arise during surgery, particularly in the case of high-risk veterans with pre-existing breathing, heart, or circulatory problems.
SimVET’s leadership helped Borchers’ team develop realistic simulations and connect with field experts from across the nation. The team spent a week at the facility, working through various procedures, dissecting potential problems, and collaborating with SimVET staff and experts.
"You can fail, but fail safely, and then you use that to make a change. And then you do it again. And then you do it again," Borchers emphasizes, highlighting the transformative power of the training. "The transformation, and what we would be able to do in an unanticipated emergency, was amazing."
A New "Code SET" Emerges: Implementing Innovation Nationwide
Borchers’ team’s efforts at SimVET led to the development of a new medical code called “code SET,” which stands for “surgical emergency team,” and is designed to be called out in the event of unexpected complications during surgery. The team practiced the code in a variety of real-world scenarios at SimVET, refining their response strategy before implementing it within their own medical center.
This code, which could one day be implemented nationwide, demonstrates the tangible impact of SimVET’s training. Borchers and her team not only practiced the code at SimVET, but they also pitched the idea to their executive leadership, and conducted numerous simulations at their own facility to ensure it was ready to be implemented with real patients.
“Fortunately, this didn’t come from an adverse event, but it came from people saying, ‘You know what, we’re doing things pretty well, but we think we can do it even better,’” Wiltz shares, underscoring the importance of SimVET’s role in driving continuous improvement within the VA.
SimVET’s impact extends beyond individual training sessions. The facility serves as a hub for developing new protocols and procedures that can be implemented across the VA network, further demonstrating the potential for simulation to revolutionize medical training and patient care.
