SimPad: New Technology for Medical Education

Over the years, technology has become vital to the growth of medical education.  Clearly, practicing learned medical knowledge on live patients is difficult and at times, unethical.  This is especially true for training in emergency medicine.  So, as instructors in this field, we learn to utilize technology to simulate patient scenarios in our teaching.  In this video, I discussed a new device, known as the SimPad, with Karlie Holzman, instructor, paramedic, and program coordinator at the Emergency Medicine Institute, a training center for the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, PA.  With this device, which communicates with various SimMan and SimBaby mannequins, it has become easier to customize teaching scenarios and even change those scenarios easily and in-the-moment, in an effort to improve the realistic nature of our simulation teaching environment.  We discuss the benefits and struggles she has encountered with the incorporation of this new technology in her adult curriculum.  Enjoy!!!