Healthcare students at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore are getting hands-on experience with medical emergencies long before they encounter them in a hospital setting. The university's Simulation Center uses a combination of standardized patients and high-tech simulators to help students apply classroom knowledge in realistic healthcare scenarios.
"Simulation is applying what you've learned in the classroom on a patient in a controlled environment," said Zach Tyndall, who leads the expansion of simulation training at UMES.
Tyndall, a former paramedic and firefighter who served in Berlin and Ocean City before becoming mayor of Berlin, says the technology gives students a safe environment to build confidence.
"What I want people to understand is that this is the place to make mistakes. This is the place to learn. This is the place to try things because once you get it out into the real world, it's not as easy to come back from those things," he said.
Graduate assistant Aya Beza helps operate the simulations and says the program offers students opportunities to develop skills while also inspiring future healthcare workers throughout the region. One of her favorite parts of the job has been welcoming local school groups into the facility.
"You see these children who are seeing unlimited possibilities unravel before their eyes that they never even thought was a chance," Beza said.
The center's impact extends beyond technology. During a recent physician assistant simulation, students worked through complex patient scenarios while collaborating with classmates and instructors.
Clinical Education Director Matthias Goldstein said that kind of team-based learning was unavailable when he attended PA school in the 1990s.
"It was really sort of isolated learning. This is more of a team approach, and it really helps you build confidence and you can do repetition," Goldstein said.
As healthcare education increasingly incorporates emerging technology, UMES is also exploring simulators equipped with artificial intelligence. Tyndall says some of the newest systems can hold conversations with students and respond based on programmed medical conditions.
For second-year physician assistant student Queena Sabri Williams, however, the most important lesson remains the same.
"It builds you up not only to be a great provider, but also the person that your patients need," Williams said.