Tripler's Medical Simulation Center

List of Services Provided:

Provide multi-specialty simulation training to enhance Tripler Graduate Medical Education.

Overview

The Ruth Andrews Medical Simulation Center (RAMSiC) is centrally funded by the Army's Central Simulation Committee (CSC) to support graduate medical education (GME). The RAMSiC operates within the Directorate of Academics, Research, and Training (DART), supporting simulation-based Medical Education. Located on the 2^nd Floor F-Wing of Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC). Tripler is a major teaching medical center that sponsors 12 ACGME-accredited training programs with more than 230 resident and fellowship positions.

For more information, contact the RAMSiC administrator at (808) 433-3092 or simulation specialist at (808) 433-9343/9369.

Mission

Central Simulation Committee Mission Statement: The Army Central Simulation Committee will be a worldwide leader in managing and directing the multi-disciplinary simulation training to enhance Graduate Medical Education, assist in Redeployment training and improve Patient Safety. We will ensure that our providers are “Trained, Competent, Safe, and Ready” to care for our Soldiers and their families.

Ruth Andrews Medical Simulation Center Mission Statement: The Ruth Andrews Medical Simulation Center will be a leader in multi-specialty simulation training to enhance Tripler Graduate Medical Education. We will ensure that our residents are "Trained, Competent, Safe, and Ready" to care for our soldiers and beneficiaries.

Our Vision: Be the Army's GME most exceptional Medical Simulation Center throughout the Department of Defense (DOD).

Equipment & Capabilities

The RAMSiC is comprised of 5, 550 square feet of space.  There are two classrooms, two simulation rooms, one static room (virtual reality simulation), control room, two offices, and a break room.  The classrooms have operable walls that can be opened into one large conference size or exhibition room.  Each of the classrooms have two 75” LED monitors.   Each of the simulation rooms and static room is equipped with a 48”LED monitor.

The central control room is situated between the two simulation rooms.  Includes one-way glass for unobtrusive monitoring of simulation training by course facilitators. Equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual monitoring and recording system.

The RAMSiC has an inventory of over $2 million of simulators and equipment. This includes task trainers for a variety of medical procedures, full size patient manikins ranging from newborn infants to adults, and virtual reality simulators for laparoscopic, endoscopic, arthroscopic, endovascular, obstetrics, gynecology and robotic surgery.
In 2024, RAMSiC gained 2,500 Sf of space that will be used as simulated patient rooms.

History

The simulation center was established March 2008. Renamed Ruth Andrews Medical Simulation Center in 2022.  Opened in 2008’ under the direction of the Tripler Army Medical Center Director of Medical Education with funding, support, and central oversight from the Army’s Central Simulation Committee (CSC). RAMSiC is one of 10 simulation centers supported by the CSC. The CSC is an Army Medical Department initiative developed to oversee and support graduate medical education (GME) and redeployment simulation-based medical education throughout Army Medicine.

The CSC was founded in 2007 with funding from the Office of the Surgeon General in order to overcome several of the challenges identified by individuals at Army Medical Centers such as challenges obtaining funding to purchase simulation equipment, difficulties with program sustainment in the face of frequent duty assignment changes and deployments, lack of validated curriculum for specific subspecialties, and limited administrative support.

Since its opening the utilization of the simulation center has grown exponentially. In 2008 less than 200 individuals, including medical students, residents, staff physicians, nurses and allied health professionals, received training. At the end of fiscal year 2015 a total of 1,361 GME residents and others were trained over a total of 3,262 training hours. The RAMSiC started with one office and a shared skills lab about 566 square feet overall with additional shared classroom space within the Department of Health Education and Training. In November 2010, it opened a new 1,100 sq. ft. medical simulation center on the eleventh floor of the hospital.  In August 2016, the center relocated to its current location on 2F.

In line with its mission to improve patient safety, practitioner efficiency and competency, the RAMSiC sought to validate our program through accreditation. In 2011 the TMSC achieved the Society of Simulation in Healthcare accreditation in Teaching/Education. In 2012 RAMSiC achieved a second award from the American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes (ACS AEI).  In 2018, RAMSiC applied for and achieved the ACS AEI Comprehensive Level in line with the organization’s goal in becoming a Level II Trauma Center.  In 2014 TMSC became an endorsed program of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Simulation Education Network. Of note when the TMSC earned these awards it became the only facility to have earned these accreditations within the state and the Regional Health Command-Pacific (P). These distinctions support the goals of the CSC, Tripler Army Medical Center, and Army Medicine as a high reliability organization.

Leadership

The RAMSiC is directly governed by a committee that includes the Deputy Director of DART, Director of Medical Simulation, Director of Surgical Simulation, Associate Medical and Surgical Directors, Simulation Nurse Educator, Simulation Program Administrator, and the Medical Simulation Specialists. The RAMSiC governing committee is responsible for the strategic goals; the Directors are responsible for providing direction and guidance on achieving the goals. The support staff is responsible for implementation of the day-to-day operations, budgetary oversight, purchasing, training coordination, and administration.

As one of the 10 simulation centers supported by the Army’s CSC, RAMSIC is also overseen by the CSC. Leading the CSC is the CSC Chairman, assisted by an administrative staff, located at the Anderson Simulation Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Each medical subspecialty has an assigned simulation specialty advisor who sits on the CSC and reports to the chairman. Presently the CSC has 14 medical specialties that include: anesthesia, dermatology, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, psychology and urology.

In addition to the medical specialty advisors, the CSC also includes advisors from the Army Nurse Corps, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USUHS), the Army Military Simulation Training Centers (MSTC), and the Director of Medical Education from each of the 10 military treatment facilities with CSC simulation centers.

Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology MOCA PROGRAM