The Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) recently announced full accreditation of two Indianapolis-area Indiana University simulation and skills centers that provide hands-on educational opportunities for current and future healthcare professionals.
The Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall received full reaccreditation from SSH this year in the areas of assessment, fellowship, and teaching/education, while the Jean Johnson Schaefer Resource Center for Innovation in Clinical Nursing Education (RCICNE) at the Indiana University School of Nursing at Indianapolis received full accreditation for the first time in the areas of assessment and teaching/education.
The 30,000-square-foot Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall features multiple spaces for current and future doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to practice skills through simulated exercises in a variety of settings, including an operating room, emergency room, intensive care unit, obstetrics and neonatal care, transport and more.
The Sim Center – which is operated through a partnership between Indiana University Health, Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana University School of Nursing – also features debrief rooms to discuss simulation experiences, spaces for learners to practice skills, and classroom settings where learners can receive instruction before or after simulated exercises with simulated patients and medical manikins.
“Reaccreditation from the Society of Simulation in Healthcare verifies that we’re continuing to adhere to best practices on not only a national but international level and providing world-class instruction to current and future healthcare providers at Indiana University,” said Dr. Dylan Cooper, executive director of the Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall.
Last year, the Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall provided instruction for 1,336 learning events, which totaled more than 59,800 learner hours for current and future healthcare professionals.
“The Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall allows students at the Indiana University School of Medicine to take information they’ve acquired through classroom instruction and learn through hands-on simulated exercises before facing complex healthcare challenges in real-life situations,” said Dr. Paul Wallach, executive associate dean for educational affairs at IU School of Medicine and chair of the Sim Center Governance Committee. “The reaccreditation from SSH reflects the excellent learning resource that the Sim Center is for current and future IU healthcare providers.”
RCICNE – located on the third floor of the School of Nursing on IUPUI’s campus – is a state-of-the-art learning lab that provides student nurses the opportunity to practice care techniques through simulations in a lower-risk learning environment as they prepare to transition into actual patient care.
The facility features multiple areas including a traditional skills lab area with 10 patient stations, manikins and other equipment that simulates a hospital environment, an examination area for physical assessments, simulation areas where students can practice hands-on critical care procedures and other classroom space.
“The RCICNE prepares future IU nurses to be critical thinkers and develop real-world skills through simulated situations that they will encounter in daily nursing environments,” said Dr. Barbara Friesth, assistant dean of learning resources at IU School of Nursing IUPUI. “We’ve provided state-of-the-art simulation education to the next generation of IU nurses for more than a decade, and we’re pleased to be recognized through accreditation for our excellence in simulation.”
During the 2021-2022 academic year, the RCICNE provided instruction totaling 29,397 learning hours for IUSON students.
“Thanks to a wonderful partnership with the Simulation Center at Fairbanks Hall, students at the Indiana University School of Nursing have the opportunity to learn at not only one but two accredited simulation and skills centers in Indianapolis,” Dr. Robin Newhouse, dean of IU School of Nursing, said. “Accreditation from the Society of Simulation in Healthcare recognizes the high level of excellence that both centers offer to our students on their journeys to becoming healthcare professionals.”
SSH accreditation is a peer-reviewed and customized evaluation of healthcare simulation programs, which examines the program’s processes and outcomes in assessment, research, teaching/education and systems integration. SSH is the largest healthcare simulation accrediting body in the world with more than 100 SSH Accredited Programs from 10 countries.
The accreditation for both simulation centers is effective through Dec. 31, 2027.