The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) has opened the Davis Global Center - a teaching hospital equipped with cutting-edge technology for medical professionals of the future.
Built at the southern entrance to the University's complex in Omaha, the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center is described as a "highly advanced clinical simulation facility" that aims to simulate actual patient care setup, fostering competence among interprofessional medical teams in realistic yet safe environments.
"When I trained, failure frequently meant disability for patients, longer procedures and tragically, even loss of life and so failure was unacceptable," explained Dr. Jeffrey Gold, UNMC Chancellor, in a press release from the University. He added that within simulated environments, instructors and people in charge actually look for these failures, explaining: "we want people to learn how to do things better, we want them to take chances, we want them to innovate."
.@OrthoNebraska visited the Davis Global Center's operating rooms yesterday for a spine and navigation surgical lab. It is always important to #keeplearning and #keeppracticing skills to ensure #patientsafety! #UNMCDGC #visitiEXCEL pic.twitter.com/Ew0xsVK369
— iEXCEL at UNMC (@UNMC_iEXCEL) November 6, 2020
Innovating medical education by allowing students to learn and practice without the fear of harm, the Davis Global Center includes a health care system - complete with a trauma room, an intensive care unit (ICU), as well as labor and delivery rooms.
The Davis Global Center serves as the home for the UNMC's iEXCEL program, its progressive model for healthcare education, training, and research. Applying the latest technologies and instructional paradigms, iEXCEL - through the Davis Global Center - has illustrated its adaptability in the effort to study and understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the global coronavirus pandemic.
Stratified Approach to Realistic Medical Training
In creating a safe and innovative environment for the medical professionals of the future, the Davis Global Center is divided into five levels, each focused on replicating a specific health care response need. Some pieces of equipment are provided by patient simulator companies, including Gaumard Scientific - a leading developer and supplier of medical education simulators.
Its lower level is home to the iEXCEL Simulated Community Care: a home care unit specialized in emergency response training, as well as home safety evaluations and transferring a patient from the home to a hospital. It is even equipped with an ambulance bay to allow for simulating patient transport, administering first aid response, and endorsement from emergency care to hospital.
At the ground level is its biocontainment training facility fitted with 20 beds compliant with National Quarantine Unit standards. The Global Center for Health Security equips students with the necessary skill in providing care and conducting necessary procedures for cases involving highly infectious conditions such as COVID-19.
The Global Center for Health Security is followed by the iEXCEL Visualization and Virtual Reality - a state of the art observational facility with 3D, augmented reality/ virtual reality (AR/VR), and holographic technologies. It allows students to better visualize and navigate through the human body, which is a vital skill for future medical professionals. It has a 70-seater Holographic Theater, as well as the iEXCEL Helix that boasts a 200-degree 2D screen, doubling as an interactive digital wall. This Level 1 facility also houses the Laser CAVE-5, a five-sided 3D laser cave that offers a revolutionary immersive experience for students and researchers.
At the second level is the iEXCEL Interprofessional Simulation, containing simulations of different hospital facilities to foster the learners' clinical competencies as well as their ability to communicate with other team members present in an actual medical procedure. Rooms are fitted with the same medical equipment used in the real world, from imaging to trauma response and newborn delivery.
Lastly, the iEXCEL Surgical and Interventional Skills platform introduces students to advanced surgical skills through fresh tissue and surgical simulator setups. The facility offers collaboration with industrial partners for training technologies, as well as research and development of next-generation technologies.
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