VA Simulation Lab

Twenty-first century technology has landed at Brooklyn’s VAHospital.

The medical center, at 800 Poly Place, cut the ribbon on Monday ona new simulation lab that takes the hospital’s seven-year-oldsimulation training into a new realm in which inexperiencedphysicians and medical students will be able to learn emergencytechniques on lifelike, but inanimate mannequins outside the arenaof a real emergency.

Their efforts will be guided by a facilitator, who inputs into thecomputer information about vital signs appropriate to the conditionthat is being treated while the students work on the ‘patient, andtry to determine the appropriate course of care.

The goal is improved care through more sophisticated training thatcould mean the difference between life and death.

Dr. Annemarie Leyden, chief of learning resources of the New YorkHarbor VA, said that the simulation lab will improve the learningexperience. The center, she said, offers state-of-the-art videocapability, ultrasound for the placement of central lines and othertechnology, enabling us to teach the latest techniques as theybecome available.

The lab also allows instructors to review student performances,said Dr. Barry Goozner, co-chief of general internal medicine atthe Brooklyn VA.

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