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The Clinical Skills and Simulation Center (CSSC) has been awarded a grant from the Children’s Dream Foundation for the purchase of a new SimJunior manikin, which will be used to provide high-fidelity simulation in pediatric emergency care for medical learners and first responders. SimJunior, an interactive pediatric simulator of a six- to eight-year-old child, is capable of simulating a wide range of conditions from a healthy, talking child to an unresponsive, critical patient with no vital signs. This is the sixth consecutive year that the CSSC has been awarded simulation grants from the Children’s Dream Foundation.

In addition to training medical students, SimJunior will benefit other healthcare providers in the Westchester community,  including residents, nurses, physician assistants, educators and EMTs, because it will provide additional instruction for providers on the front line that provide emergency care for critically ill pediatric patients.

“Simulation training has long been viewed as the preferred way to safely train learners on the nuances of pediatric emergency care. I am incredibly grateful to the Children’s Dream Foundation for their continued support that has made a dramatic impact on our ability to facilitate virtual and in-person training when learners needed it the most,” said Katharine Yamulla, M.A., CHSE, senior director of competency-based assessment and clinical skills education and director of the CSSC. “As the long-term effects of COVID-19 continue to unfold, it is vital that we create simulation sessions that not only address related physical complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, but that we also prepare healthcare providers to recognize the warning signs of mental illness and effectively manage opioid and/or other drug overdoses.”

The CSSC and Yamulla, have become a renowned source for advanced simulation. During the onset of the COVD-19 pandemic, NYMC was one of the first medical schools in the northeast to immediately convert clinical skills experiences for third-year medical students to a virtual platform when students were pulled from clinical rotations.

“Repurposing simulation in a virtual environment ensured that students didn’t miss a beat in their clinical training and allowed the CSSC to provide a significant contribution to a new generation of ‘first line responders’ by helping them progress their education during unprecedented times,” said Yamulla, who was named Educator of the Year in 2022 by the Children’s Dream Foundation, in recognition of her dedication to serving the pediatric community of the Hudson Valley by creating innovative training programs that help promote quality care.