The university took a big leap to advance simulation training for its students when the Education and Evaluation Center (EEC) opened its doors for the first time in the Health Sciences Building of the North Chicago campus in the fall of 2003. The EEC’s development stems from the industry movement to improve patient safety, and it sets the stage for building competency through standardized patient scenarios.

The EEC is part of today’s RFU’s Center for Advanced Simulation in Healthcare, and has provided a safe space for students from all of RFU’s schools and colleges to learn and grow their clinical skills for 20 years.

The design of the space leans into the evaluation aspect. The mock clinic’s 14 exam rooms are equipped with cameras that record interactions and offer the opportunity for response in real time from the observation room. Clinical training milestones like the head-to-toe exam and the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) take place in the EEC.

During its first academic year, the EEC provided 4,000 learner contact hours to students, as well as to residents and providers seeking professional development. Last year, the number of simulation-based learner contact hours increased to 10 times that number. Over 20 years, Center for Advanced Simulation in Healthcare staff, faculty and standardized patients have facilitated experiences for approximately 15,000 unique learners in 500,000 learner contact hours.

Kelly Reiss is director of the ÎÞÂëȺ½» Archives and the Feet First Exhibition.