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New York Medical College Launches State-of-the-Art Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center

The opening of the Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center represents a milestone at NYMC

Date: June 12, 2014
Media Contact:

Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
Jennifer_Riekert@nymc.edu

The Center enhances the College’s reputation as a leading educational resource, improving health care, disaster response and research in the Hudson Valley region

VALHALLA, N.Y., June 12, 2014In a development that will help to improve health care and train outstanding health care professionals in the Hudson Valley, New York Medical College today announced the launch of its Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center – a facility where medical students and allied health professionals will receive hands-on training in a replicated hospital setting. The approximately 21,000 square foot Center provides state-of-the-art resources and technology to allow students to hone clinical skills in a safe and controlled environment before treating actual patients. The facility provides a vital training platform for medical, paramedical and other personnel who are called upon during local and regional emergencies from natural or man-made disasters. Also housed in the facility is the soon to be launched BioInc@NYMC a biotech incubator that equips entrepreneurial scientists with wet lab spaces, businesses training, and vital capital networks.

“The opening of the Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center represents a milestone at NYMC. This Center will allow us to develop health care providers that are knowledgeable, skillful and professional caregivers. Further, the Center will allow us to transform our educational programs and encourage inter-professional training and quality/safety,” said Jennifer Koestler, MD, Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education.

“It’s essential that students learn and practice in facilities like our Clinical Skills and Disaster Training Center before treating patients,” said Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., Dean of the School of Health Sciences and Vice President of Government Affairs. “Emergency responders have similar needs. Our advanced tools and technology will help learners with varying levels of experience gain the skills and confidence needed to deliver health care of the highest quality.”

The Center houses 20 examination rooms complete with Medical Education Technology, Inc. (METI) Learning Space technologies. The rooms are equipped with ceiling-mounted and wall-mounted pan-tilt-zoom cameras, multi-directional microphones, two-way communication speakers, telephones and a computer. The rooms are also outfitted with wall-mounted instruments including blood pressure cuffs, otoscopes (an instrument used to look into the ears), ophthalmoscopes (an instrument used to view the interior of the eye) and examination tables. Outside each examination room is a writing station where students can complete post-encounter exercises such as writing notes in electronic health records (EHR).

In order for students to gain experience that is as realistic as possible, The Center houses three Laerdal SimMan 3G high fidelity patient simulators in two large simulation rooms. SimMan 3G is a wireless, self-contained simulator which allows learners to manage all aspects of patient care practices and procedures, including pharmacological interventions, airway management and numerous other medical procedures. Additionally, a Laerdal SimJunior allows users to practice a broad range of pediatric skills in multiple patient care settings, both within and outside the hospital.

The Center also boasts an auditorium with a 115-person capacity as well as a conference area for multifunctional purposes such as small group learning exercises and training of actors to portray standardized patients in some of the simulations.

New York Medical College established the Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center as a strategic priority and funded the construction with a combination of philanthropic, institutional, and New York State grant funds. Ellenzweig Associates, Inc., Lothrop Associates, LLP, and Whiting-Turner, Inc. developed designs for the Center, which include renewable materials and energy-efficient systems.

“The life sciences and healthcare industries are important sectors of the Hudson Valley’s regional economy, and the Clinical Skills and Disaster Medicine Training Center will grow the highly-skilled workforce needed to drive these industries forward,” said Aimee Vargas, Mid-Hudson Regional Director for Empire State Development. “Governor Cuomo’s innovative approach to economic development is working and producing real results for New Yorkers by supporting priority projects like BioInc@NYMC (formerly iBio) and NYMC’s Center – fostering innovation and job creation, and providing critical workforce training. I commended NYMC for their commitment to improving the economy and quality of life in the Hudson Valley and across New York State.”

About New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, New York Medical College is one of the oldest and largest health sciences universities in the country with more than 1,400 students, 800 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 15,000 alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Valhalla, NY and offers advanced degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences and the School of Health Sciences and Practice. As a leading academic and biomedical research institution, the College manages more than $34.5 million in research and other sponsored programs, notably in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, kidney disease, the neurosciences, disaster medicine, and vaccine development.

With a network of affiliated hospitals that includes large urban medical centers, small suburban clinics and high-tech regional tertiary care facilities, NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities throughout the tri-state region for medical students, residents and allied health providers. For more information, visit www.nymc.edu.