Emergency Medicine Education & Training Fellowship Programs Simulation Fellowship Department of Emergency Medicine Home About Campus & Community Resources Emergency Medicine: Education & Training > Fellowship Programs > Simulation Fellowship Overview Simulation encompasses any technology or process that recreates a contextual background that allows a learner to experience success and mistakes, receive feedback and gain confidence in a safe environment.1 This may be particularly useful for low-frequency but high-acuity scenarios. Simulation tools include, but are not limited to, computers, virtual reality equipment, procedural task trainers, standardized patients and high-fidelity mannequins. The Institute of Medicine, the Educational Technology Section of the 2004 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference and the public have advocated for increased simulation-based training in an effort to reduce errors.2-6 The Association of American Medical Colleges states that simulation is arguably the most prominent innovation in medical education over the past 15 years. Events such as the creation of an academic society dedicated to simulation, the inauguration of a simulation journal, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant awards totaling $5 million, and the proliferation of simulation-based literature and research have all heralded the promise of simulation as a keystone of health profession education and patient safety.7 Simulation has the potential to revolutionize healthcare education, healthcare delivery and quality improvement initiatives, and address patient safety issues if appropriately utilized and integrated into the educational and organizational improvement process. Program Description The UCI Emergency Medicine Simulation Fellowship is a one-year, mentored program that offers advanced training in simulation teaching, curriculum design, educational program implementation, study design and research for a graduate of an accredited emergency medicine residency program. A two-year track is available for those applicants in pursuit of an advanced degree. The simulation fellowship is not an ACGME-accredited fellowship, as there are no ACGME-accredited fellowships in medical simulation. The fellow will have the opportunity to educate/train and form cooperative collaborative relationships with medical students, residents, nurses, allied health professionals, EMTs, paramedics and physicians while developing and delivering innovative simulation curriculum. The UCI Medical Education Simulation Center is a $40 million, 65,000-square-foot facility that provides telemedicine and simulation-based educational programs and CME courses for thousands of healthcare providers each year. The four-story simulation center includes a full-scale operating room, emergency room, trauma bay, obstetrics suite and critical care unit. Clinical Activities The simulation fellow’s salary is covered by providing attending physician coverage in the Emergency Department at UCI Medical Center. The fellow will have a UCI School of Medicine appointment as a clinical instructor. UCI Medical Center is the only Level I Trauma Center in the county, with 3,800 runs per year and a 48,000 ED census. The Department of Emergency Medicine has been home to a nationally recognized three-year residency program since 1989. Educational Activities Fellows will have the opportunity to create and implement new, innovative simulation material and curriculum that will be integrated into the core curriculum of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, as well as the simulation component of the required fourth-year Emergency Medicine Clerkship rotation. The fellow will have the opportunity to contribute to the simulation curriculum library and educational material that has been delivered by the Department of Emergency Medicine for almost a decade. Fellows will also participate in medical student, residency and departmental activities that will improve their academic, teaching and presenting skills. Lectures by fellows will primarily be during Grand Rounds at the medical center campus or during simulation conferences at the School of Medicine campus. There will also be opportunities to provide education to pre-hospital care providers in the community via workshops, lectures and educational conferences. Fellows are encouraged to attend the Society for Simulation in Healthcare annual international meeting. Research Activities The simulation fellow has protected time to design, create and execute a research agenda that is compatible with individual interest. The director of the Simulation Fellowship, C. Eric McCoy, MD, MPH, has years of experience in education, teaching and curriculum design for undergraduates, medical students and residents, as well as simulation research and educational program implementation. The simulation fellow will have close mentorship to develop their knowledge and skills in simulation teaching, curriculum design, educational program implementation, study design and research. The fellow is expected to have a publishable manuscript by the completion of the fellowship. Application Process Graduation from an accredited U.S. emergency medicine residency program is required. For further information regarding the fellowship and application process, please contact the fellowship director, C. Eric McCoy, MD, MPH. To apply, please submit the following to Dr. McCoy at cmccoy@hs.uci.edu: A Letter of Intent Your CV Three Letters of Recommendation (submitted electronically) Fellowship Director C. Eric McCoy, MD, MPH Clinical Professor, Emergency Medicine Base Hospital Medical Director - UCI Medical Center References Gaba DM. The future vision of simulation in healthcare. Qual Saf Health Care; 2004; 13 (suppl). Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. To err is human: building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2000. Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS. Crossing the quality chasm; a new health system for the 21st century. Washington DC: National Academy Press; 2001. Carroll JD, Messenger JC. Medical Simulation: the new tool for training and skill assessment. Perspect Biol Med; 2008. Vozenilek J, Huff JS, Reznek M, Gordon JA. See one, do one, teach one: advanced technology in medical education. Acad Emerg Med; 11. Bong WF, Lammers RL, Spillane LL, et al. The use of simulation in emergency medicine; a research agenda. Acad Emerg Med 2007; 14. Passiment M, Sacks H, Huang G. Medical Simulation in Medical Education: Results of an AAMC Survey; 2011.