Sanford Health announced that construction will soon start for a simulation training center at the former Children’s Hospital in Fargo. The simulation training center will provide Tri-College University students with training on the newest high-tech methods in a no-risk environment. It will have a combination of task trainers, mannequin simulators and standardized patients with multiple simulation rooms, including inpatient, trauma, operating and outpatient clinic rooms, according to a press release from Sanford on Thursday.
“The partnership is what makes this simulation center special, and nothing like this exists in this region,” President of Sanford Nate White said. “This new training facility will not only allow us to support our area universities, but also help us train our workforce for everything from everyday medical treatment to situations they will rarely encounter like complicated cases, including loss of limbs or severe burns. This is crucial during a time when our region faces a shortage of health care workers.”
Students from the Tri-College University System, which includes Concordia College, Minnesota State University Moorhead and North Dakota State University, will be able to practice hands-on medical care at this new 17,000 square-foot center, according to Sanford Health.
“The ability to have clinical experience live in the hospitals is invaluable for our health care students,” Dean Bresciani, NDSU president and Tri-College University board chairman, said. “Because these future health care providers gain hands-on experience, this simulation center will assist both Tri-College University and Sanford Health in the recruitment and retention of students both in college and when they start their careers. Many of these students will stay right here in the state of North Dakota.”
Aside from the patient simulation training rooms, the facility will also have multiple debriefing rooms and classroom spaces. Students will receive an instant assessment of how they performed during the simulation through the most current technology for clinical learning. The training center will also be available for professional development of Sanford Health staff and health care providers and other programs from the area that have clinical simulated learning needs.
“This partnership allows us to reduce duplication of resources and to be good stewards of our limited resources,” Tri-College University Provost Tim Flakoll said. “It will be available on a fee for service basis for other groups such as city and rural fire departments, EMT and ambulance services, other hospitals and the military. With multiple partners and projected use of six to seven days a week, we will dramatically improve the efficiency of the delivery of high-quality training.”