Simulation for Operational Readiness in a New Freestanding Emergency Department Strategies and Tactics

An interprofessional curriculum employing simulation as a core teaching strategy was used to train experienced clinicians in preparation for operating a freestanding emergency department. Disaster preparedness training included didactic and scenario-based learning, as well as high-fidelity simulation mannequins and moulaged actors. Two days of onsite simulations at the end of the 10-week training period “revealed latent safety threats, lapses in communication, issues of intake procedure and patient flow, and the persistence of inapt or inapplicable mental models in responding to clinical emergencies.”