A former Hillsborough County ambulance is being dispatched for a new mission – to serve as a roving medical simulation classroom for training healthcare workers in the Tampa Bay area.
The decommissioned ambulance has been transformed into an advanced mobile simulation unit by the University of South Florida’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS). This innovative program, called “CAMLS Without Walls,” provides immersive, hands-on training to students and medical professionals in underserved and rural communities. The vehicle will provide training in an up to a 300-mile radius, reaching healthcare workers who normally wouldn’t be able to travel to the USF Health campus and CAMLS facility for training.
The vehicle features high-tech mannequins, or manikins as known in the industry, and are equipment for realistic emergency response scenarios. “Our manikins are high technology – they can simulate breathing, seizures; you can actually shock them and they respond,” said Dr. Haru Okuda, CEO and Executive Director of CAMLS.
Medical professionals simulate CPR on a manikin inside a CAMLS’ mobile vehicle, formerly an ambulance.
Studies show simulation training reduces errors and boosts team communication critical for quality care. Since 2012, CAMLS has provided more than 2.1 million training hours. “Simulation-based healthcare education is a way we can train doctors, nurses and other health professionals in a safe environment to train them for our future patients,” Dr. Okuda said.
CAMLS is a pioneering facility within USF Health that provides innovative training experiences that benefit students, instructors and medical teams.
CAMLS had educated participants from all 50 states and 38 countries. The new mobile ambulance unit promises to expand the center’s life-saving impact even further.