ANN ARBOR, MI — The University of Michigan and A.Z. SHMINA have officially opened a second Clinical Simulation Center location, more than doubling the number of physicians, nurses and students who will be able to practice their skills in the new learning environment. The 7,500-square-foot space, located in Med Sci II, allows current and future health care professionals a chance to prepare for real-world scenarios and rehearse new medical procedures in a high-impact and low-risk clinical setting.

The Simulation Center, which is accredited by the American College of Surgeons as a Comprehensive Education Institute, is equipped with a host of hi-fidelity adult, child and obstetric mannequins with lifelike capabilities. They are designed to cry, blink, talk and breathe, have full heart and lung sounds, EKG tracings and respond to a host of medical interventions.

In addition to computer-based simulation modules that guide learners through practice exams, there are five inpatient rooms that replicate rooms in University Hospital, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. Everything is operated from an adjacent control room where staff members control the mannequin and the environment in the room.

James Cooke, Executive Director of the Clinical Simulation Center and Assistant Professor of learning health sciences and of family medicine, is a staunch champion of simulation training.

“Investing in the expansion of the Clinical Simulation Center shows our commitment to ensuring that the next generation of health care leaders, scholars and practitioners are fully prepared for the future challenges in national and global health care,” he said. “This exciting venture will help us maintain our status as one of the top academic medical centers in the country.”