Sim News Brief

Simulation Pulse Point: A message from the Associate Dean

With the beginning of a new year, I often reflect on areas for growth both personally and professionally. As an emergency medicine physician, I am constantly exposed to new information, evolving evidence, and unexpected challenges. To provide the best care and lead effectively, I must continually reassess and refine my thinking. This is only possible because I strive to practice a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that our abilities and understanding are not fixed but can be developed through effort, feedback, and reflection. In medicine, this is essential. It keeps us intellectually humble, open to constructive feedback, and willing to learn from the complications and errors. It shifts our focus from proving competence to continuously improving it. This mindset is equally critical in academic medicine and innovation. Building and refining our simulation center requires creativity, flexibility, and a willingness to iterate. Simulation-based education is grounded in cycles of practice, feedback, and improvement. A growth mindset allows us to embrace these cycles, fostering psychological safety, thoughtful experimentation, and strong collaboration. As we continue improving our workflow in the simulation center, I hope to work with colleagues who value continuous learning, welcome feedback, and are committed to growth. Developing an innovative simulation program requires not only expertise but a shared belief that we can always evolve and become better educators and clinicians together. Thank you, Afrah

Photo right: Construction progresses on the Brody Center for Medical Education.

Announcements

Welcome new students, residents, fellows, faculty and staff! If you would like a tour of the Simulation Center, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at csc@ecu.edu.

We have shared a short webinar, What's New at the Simulation Center", on our website that describes changes to our scheduling process, timelines for course planning, and faculty development opportunities planned for academic year 2026-2027. Please review this information and reach out to us with questions or feedback.

The Clinical Simulation Center would like to express its sincere appreciation to Dr. Jennifer Parker-Cote for her contribution to our program as assistant dean. We look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come. We will be reposting the assistant dean position in the coming weeks.

Photo right: EM residents and Brody students practicing wilderness medicine at Wildwood Park.

Simulation Stars

A special thanks to Donna Moses for being with the BSOM Simulation Advisory Board from its inception. She retires in April 2026. We wish her the best in retirement!

Special thanks to Jeanette Spence, Yvette Bowen, and Edna Clemons from Pitt Community College Nursing School for coordinating with Bill Vasios in conducting the IPE trauma simulation.

Congratulations to Dr. Ali for being selected to be an examiner for the certifying exam for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. She was also nominated to serve as the Secretary for the Simulation Academy Executive Committee in the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

Tinesha Weaver, Simulation Operations Specialist at the ECU Health Center for Learning and Performance, earned her Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS)!

We congratulate our Simulation Fellow, Bill Vasios (PA-C), on earning his Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) certification.

Photo right: EastCare emergency responders assess a high-fidelity manikin during their Prehospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) training.

Program Activity

Brody M2 students completed their final Integrated Patient Clinical Simulation (IPCS) in January. The next IPCS for the incoming M2 students begins in May 2026.

Brody M3 clerkship students learned essential hands-on skills and practiced concepts through applied scenarios specific to each discipline.

Brody M4 students prepared for their medical residency by completing the Transition To Residency Mega Code simulation.

Brody students continue to host their community-focused Happy Hearts CPR classes.

The Department of Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine (EM/IM) residents continue their monthly training conference at the Simulation Center.

EastCare continues training their emergency responders at the Clinical Simulation Center through their 3-day airway course and new hire orientation.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (P&CCM) started their bootcamp sessions this year in thoracentesis, chest tubes, Pulmonary Artery Catheter (PAC), transvenous pacer (TVP), central lines, airway, and bronchoscopy. Critical Care fellows started practiced ultrasound, chest tubes and cricothyrotomy, and lumbar puncture.

The Department of Emergency Medicine (EM) held their annual SonoGames and Wilderness Day events.

The School of Dental Medicine held suturing and airway skills labs for dental residents.

Palliative Care fellows practiced their procedural skills for hospice and palliative patient care.

The Physician Assistant Studies students participated in a variety of simulations ranging from focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST), thoracentesis, electrocardiogram (ECG), cardiac ultrasound, and lung ultrasound.

The OB/GYN department utilized the Simulation Center to train their residents in eclampsia, EMIGS, virtual lap trainer, and hysteroscopy.

Internal Medicine residents participated in weekly scenarios to practice managing acutely ill patients.

Photo right: Dr. Erin Kelly from Department of Internal Medicine/Critical Care Medicine gives demonstration of Blakemore for the ECU Health MICU IPE course.

Expanding the Field

The Healthcare Simulation Unit (HSU) was driven to UNC Health Wayne and ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan to train medical personnel in simulated trauma cases.

The HSU was also a featured exhibit at the Chamber of Commerce Pitt County Grow Local event. High school students gained exposure to simulation education and health science careers.

The Clinical Simulation staff presented at the Beyond-the-Mankin conference event in Wilmington, NC. The presentations included guidance on creating simulation-specific standard operating procedures and sustaining interprofessional programs.

Clinical Simulation Center continues to provide educational outreach with tours of the entire center.

Becky Gilbird and Bill Vasios presented at the International Meeting of Simulation in Healthcare in San Antonino, TX.

Jessica Cringan is leading a webinar based on her article recently published in STORM Magazine: Innovation on a Budget: Customizing a Free App for Program Inventory.

Bill Vasios completed data collection on his fellowship project that is assessing efficacy of peer-to-peer feedback in simulation activities.

Photo right: A high fidelity manikin demonstrated for Bertie County high school students on tour of Brody School of Medicine.