NYMC > Center for Disaster Medicine > Educational Innovation, Training, and Simulation

Educational Innovation, Training, and Simulation

The Center for Disaster Medicine, at its core, is an Academic entity that places the learning needs of its students and stakeholders first. Educational innovation highlights the Center’s constant pursuit of exploring new modalities in teaching, novel learning theories, realistic experiences, and a perpetual reexamination of effectiveness. Educators within the CDM maintain involvement in the study of learning, educational technology, knowledge and skills retention, and new trends in training delivery.

Simulation, or the imitation of a real-world system or process, is one specific educational modality that is utilized by the CDM to complement our learning experiences in medicine, emergency preparedness, emergency response, and organizational systems. The Center’s expertise in simulation education and technology allows for increased value in experiential learning. Simulation has been evidenced to improve safety, performance, and efficiency in a multitude of professions, including healthcare, aviation, the culinary arts, manufacturing, organizational business performance, and military science.

Operational and Tactical Medicine

Center for Disease Medicine PictureThe Center for Disaster Medicine’s (CDM) Division of Operational and Tactical Medicine focuses on researching and teaching the best practices for delivering high-quality, high-impact care in environments outside the realm of traditional medicine. The CDM provides guidance and education for those clinicians involved in care within austere, tactical, limited resource and battlefield environments. In particular, special consideration is given to resource capabilities, interprofessional collaboration, preventive medicine, deployment planning and assessments, and leadership considerations. Chosen education and training modalities focus on using the most appropriate teaching strategies and tools to enhance knowledge and skills retention (i.e., collaborative learning, high fidelity simulation, augmented reality). The CDM can assist entities in programmatic planning, design, implementation, and policy creation.

Healthcare and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Education

Preparedness Education

The NYMC Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) provides workshops, training and education to healthcare providers in the healthcare and public health sectors in order to be better prepared for natural or man-made disasters including mass casualty incidents and bioterrorism. CDM provides specially tailored programs for healthcare and public health professionals by reviewing the research and lessons learned from past events in order to improve future emergency response.

CDM has in-house expertise on healthcare and public health emergency preparedness and uses that knowledge and experience to improve the capabilities of the healthcare sector at the local, national and international level. CDM staff has shared lessons learned with healthcare professionals throughout New York State and as far as Spain.

Emergency Preparedness for Special Populations

Children and Special Populations

The NYMC Center for Disaster Medicine (CDM) has expertise in emergency preparedness for special populations such as but not limited to children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Such special populations require specially tailored programs for its consumers and healthcare professionals.

We also offer American Heart Association (AHA) courses such as Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS) specifically designed for pediatric patients.

Prehospital Emergency Medicine and Emergency Management for the Public and Private Sectors

The Center for Disaster Medicine’s Division of Prehospital Emergency Medicine and Emergency Management focuses on research, education, and training within these fields in order to best prepare first responders and the public to meet the needs of their communities during their times of need, at both the local and global levels. The CDM maintains expertise in all facets of the prehospital emergency medicine system, especially:

  • Organizational operations
  • Communications
  • Trauma systems, hospital networks, and specialty care centers
  • Clinical development and provider responsibility
  • Administrative, Governmental, and Policy considerations
  • Public outreach and education

The CDM’s work in Emergency Management focuses on research, guidance, and education to assist individuals and organizations to best prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the potential effects of all types of disasters and emergencies on a local and global scale. The CDM maintains expertise in all facets of emergency management, especially:

  • Emergency management policy and practice
  • Risk assessment and hazard mitigation
  • Disaster preparedness and response
  • Incident management
  • Incident and disaster recovery
  • Terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and other man-made disasters
  • Current research and case review from recent events