Build-out supports interprofessional education and healthcare partnerships with an authentic hospital environment
This satellite facility not only expands the simulation program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFUMS), but it also allows the university to create partnerships with regional healthcare providers seeking training. Those who benefit range from paramedics and nurses to RFUMS students and even local high school students exploring STEM careers.
The 30,000-square-foot center occupies two floors of a medical office building on Northwestern Medicine’s Huntley, Illinois campus. The third floor houses a lobby/lounge, offices, and classroom space, while the fourth floor merges four hospital components: a simulated emergency department, an inpatient area, an outpatient zone, and a surgical suite.
The ER zone allows robust team training of providers from diverse professions. It includes an ambulance built into the wall, treatment rooms, and trauma rooms. Spaces such as the trauma room are built with flexibility in mind to replicate varied technology, workflow, and patient conditions to help RFUMS programs and partners train toward mastery.
Fidelity to actual hospital environments drove the design. For instance, instructors use the realistic operating room to give students a solid foundation in OR rules and etiquette in preparation for their internship and residency sites. An acoustical ceiling and vinyl composition tile (VCT) floor (not permitted in real ORs) reduce construction costs, without detracting from the authenticity.
The control/observation room innovations have allowed RFUMS to better leverage audiovisual technologies university-wide. Gray furnishings, black ceilings, and blackout shades minimize visibility through mirrored glass in adjacent rooms.
By using simulation to integrate true clinical experiences earlier in students’ careers, we’re giving them a much more solid foundation to start their training with actual patients.
Dr. James Carlson Vice President for Interprofessional Education and Simulation, RFUMS
