VCOM View Magazine Vol. 14 | No. 1

Bringing Medicine to Life Inside the Simulation and Technology Centers at VCOM

By Caroline Bennett

T he Simulation and Technology Centers— known as Sim Centers—at each of VCOM’s four campuses are bustling places. The hands-on experiences they provide help VCOM students build confidence and clinical skills that are critical for addressing healthcare needs, especially of rural communities. At the heart of the Sim Centers’ excellence is the willingness and ability of the staff to find inventive ways to enhance the VCOM students’ experiences with real life clinical scenarios. “Our team is encouraged to think outside of the box and when we see a way to improve our educational approach, we are given the support we need to explore technology and our medical knowledge to do just that,” says Ryan Martin, BAE, the director for high-fidelity manikin and virtual-based simulation and clinical procedural skills at VCOM-Virginia. Among the innovations that set VCOM apart are their in-house production of wearable trainers. The first was a wearable lumbar injection unit, and the VCOM staff has also created a prototype of a wearable knee

trainer. These trainers allow medical students to engage in realistic, patient-centered encounters that blend technical practice with essential communication skills. These proprietary wearable trainers give VCOM students the chance to practice patient communication skills and more realistic clinical skills because the trainers are placed on a patient’s body in its natural position and use soft, flexible materials to simulate the feel of human tissue. They also offer significant savings for VCOM.

To learn more about how innovation is fueling our VCOM staff to enhance education in our Sim Centers, visit: www.vcom.edu/simcenter

fall 2025 | VCOM V iew M agazine 19