Medical Simulation Training Services – Behind the Scenes look at Military Training Exercises
I have been lucky enough in a 15 year medical career to have been exposed to a number of different training methods. Reading books, looking at diagrams, immersive training suites with various environments projected on the walls, and everything in between. I thought I had seen most of what was available.
When the opportunity to join the Nautilus Medical Simulation Team arose I jumped at the chance. I thought it would finally be a chance to use the experience and skills I have learned over my time in both the Defence Medical Services and the NHS Ambulance Services, HART and HEMS, by passing it on to others and assist them to develop as medics at all levels. This would include all levels of clinical experience, from soldiers with a Team Medic qualification, all the way up to Critical Care teams and Doctors.
During my time in the Military I ran training for peers within the medical sections, usually involving getting one of the lads to lay in a ditch and “win an Oscar” whilst I verbally articulated the findings for the medics, saying things like “you can see bruising here” or “ looks like there’s a bone coming out there”. This was fine at low level training and as a “stocking filler” but lacked the fidelity, realism and exposure the guys needed to be able to respond realistically, with the pressure and feeling of what real emergency trauma medicine is like.
After the Military I moved to the NHS and was fortunate enough to join the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) for South Central Ambulance Service. Here I took the role of Team Educator & 2 i/c . My responsibilities included facilitating the Training and competencies of the team, ensuring we were good to go on all fronts, attending a range of incident types covering over 100 different individual competencies.
I thought that with all of this Military, NHS Paramedic and HART team experience it would put me in good stead for the role in which I had been successful in applying for.
On the first couple of managed service support simulations we delivered I was frankly blown away by the diversity and standard of the Simulation provided. Nautilus’s relationships formed with their customers over the last 5 years were evident, as was the trust they had in the capabilities on offer from the team. This certainly opened my eyes to the level and standard or training I was going to have to be at, to continue to offer the services, to the exacting standards, in the same way and with the same effect. One of the first things I was told was “anyone can buy and operate a SimMan 3G, but it’s the delivery and peripheral experiences and awareness that enhances the delivery, taking the Simulation to a whole next level”.
Next was the challenge of multitasking, learning the operation and capability of all the simulation kit, ensuring that it works and flows within the scenario and the simulation provided is delivered appropriately. Injecting timely & relevant information into the simulation plus recording information for the debrief points at the end of the simulation.
Over the past couple of months, and having delivered a few more simulations I began to feel more comfortable in the role and found that my base knowledge and past experience has helped with the provision of the Sim. Seeing the guys conducting the medical scenarios with high-fidelity, in an appropriate environment and complemented by the Battlefield Simulation Effects team providing visual and audible effects really adds to the realism of the training allowing the guys to act as they would in real life with minimal intervention from directing staff, working with what they have in front of them has been awesome. Listening to them after the simulation, taking feedback and hearing their reactions has affirmed for me the standard of the product being delivered. I wish I had had the opportunity for this type of training in my previous roles.