The Emergency Medicine Simulation Program is focused on training residents in the timely recognition and appropriate intervention for critically ill patients. Besides learning medical management, simulation training provides a hands-on opportunity to practice skills and real-time decision-making. This training improves residents’ confidence and competence with a large educational focus on the principles of crisis resource management: effective teamwork, leadership, and communication in high stakes situations.
Our philosophy of simulation is that it is a crucial tool to enhance patient care. As such, we utilize simulation to constructively educate, and create a safe space to gain experience in managing the critically ill and difficult patients.
Simulation Training in Emergency Medicine
Simulation training is an essential part of emergency medicine residency education. In the emergency department, physicians must rapidly care for critically ill and injured patients while working in complex, fast-moving hospital environments. Simulation gives emergency medicine residents a structured way to practice clinical decision-making, procedures, communication, leadership, and teamwork before applying those skills in patient care.
The BerbeeWalsh Department of Emergency Medicine offers a comprehensive simulation curriculum for residents, including both adult and pediatric emergency medicine scenarios. Through the UW Clinical Simulation Program’s 8,500-square-foot simulation center, residents participate in interdisciplinary training that reflects the realities of emergency care.
Emergency medicine residents use high-fidelity simulators, procedural skills trainers, and integrated ultrasound capabilities to practice the acute management of critically ill patients. Simulation sessions also support training in essential emergency medicine procedures, including airway management, ultrasound, central venous access, and other skills used in the emergency department.
Simulation-based education also helps residents build the nontechnical skills needed in emergency care. Residents practice working within interprofessional teams, leading resuscitations, communicating under pressure, and sharing difficult information with patients and families.
Structured debriefing is a central part of the simulation curriculum. After each scenario, residents and faculty discuss clinical management, decision-making, leadership, teamwork, communication, and opportunities for improvement. This process supports constructive reflection and helps residents translate simulation training into safer, more effective emergency care.
