UNMC Opens Absolutely Massive Davis Global Center with 5 Levels Dedicated to Medical Simulation

Today the highly advanced clinical simulation facility Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center (aka the Davis Global Center) opened its doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska. This simulation center is purposefully designed to foster the practice of patient care in highly-functioning and effective interprofessional teams which sits on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus . Here we celebrate the launch of The Davis Global Center and its iEXCEL program which provides realistic replicated health care settings in which professional healthcare simulation teams can practice and experiment safely.

Above you can watch the opening ceremonies of the Davis Global Center which starts at 7:45AM CST.

Local KETV Omaha Coverage

Alexandra Stone writes for KETV: “We want to establish excitement,” said UNMC Chancellor, Dr. Jeffrey Gold, “There is nothing like this on a global scale. So far. There will be, because we will become the envy of the world.” The Davis Global Center, is an advanced simulation facility, home to the University’s iEXCEL program. Dr. Pamela Boyers came to Nebraska to lead efforts at the center. “I see this program, the iEXCEL program, as a call to action,” Boyers said. It’s no secret, we live in a digital, rapidly evolving world.

Boyers said that is changing the way health care works and how people learn. She explained, industries like aviation, railroad and nuclear power were already using sophisticated simulation technology for training. University leaders are confident it can transform education for health care professions too. “What we wanted to do was create a safe place, where learners at all levels of training, every healthcare discipline, could practice their skills and hone their skills in very realistic health care environments,” Boyers said.

Dr. Tiffany Tanner, General Surgery Program Director, said the surgical simulation floor allows staff to recreate the situations residents will face in real life. “We are working with individuals who have donated their bodies for medical education, and we’re able to perform complex operations,” Tanner said. The goal: allowing learners to make mistakes here, before patients are involved. “We have the ability to film our residents doing them so that they can get feedback,” said Dr. Jennier Leineke, Assistant Professor of Surgery.

The Davis Global Center was coming online just as COVID-19 began sweeping the globe. The ground floor is home to the Global Center for Health Security, which took in Coronavirus infected patients and quarantined individuals coming from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The GCHS is also leading trials of remdesivir and a COVID-19 vaccine. Programs at the Davis Global Center also trained thousands of people on properly swabbing for a COVID-19 test. It’s a skill Dr. Christie Barnes said can’t be widely practiced in a hospital.

Capabilities of the Davis Global Center

• 3D, augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) and holographic technologies to help transform learning, teaching, training and research.
• Dedicated spaces for the creation of innovative teaching modules and videos.
• Replicated clinics, hospitals, ambulatory and home care units for simulating incidents, events and patient care scenarios.
• Opportunities for training to competency before encountering real-life patient care and emergency response situations.
• Surgical skills procedure rooms/operating bays with fresh tissue simulation for practicing high-level, complex patient care procedures.
• Collaboration with other disciplines, especially STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) initiatives.
• Tele-education, telepresence and telementoring.
• Dissemination of health-related information across Nebraska and beyond.
• Hosting and educating teams of interdisciplinary practitioners and learners – of all disciplines and at all levels of training.
• Highly-specialized training in health security and biopreparedness.

Each Level is Dedicated To Specific Learning Outcomes

The Davis Global Center is made up of five distinct levels that work together to create a safe and innovative learning environment.

Lower Level – iEXCEL Simulated Community Care: Home care unit for training in emergency response, home safety evaluations and transfer from home to hospital, and ambulance bay to practice transportation of patients and transfer of care from emergency medical services (EMS) to the hospital.

Ground Level – Global Center for Health Security: 6-bed biocontainment clinical training and simulation unit for professionals to learn to care for and conduct procedures for patients with highly infectious diseases such as COVID-19, 20-bed National Quarantine Unit Multi-purpose room with emergency operations center (EOC) capabilities and training facility.

Level 1 – iEXCEL Visualization and Virtual Reality: 3D, AR/VR and holographic technologies to inspire and foster curriculum innovation and collaborations with industry and military. Also includes:

• Holographic Theater (70 seats): holographic stage produces extraordinary virtual images
• iEXCEL Helix: 200-degree 2D curved screen is an interactive, digital iWall displaying images individually or collaboratively with other sites
• iEXCEL Laser CAVE–5: Fully immersive, five-sided 3D laser cave expands learning and research and development opportunities

Level 2 – iEXCEL Interprofessional Simulation – Realistic simulated hospital units where clinical competencies and team communication are learned, practiced and tested with lifelike simulators and real-world clinical equipment.

• The Acute Care Unit will have a realistic, simulated operating room (OR), a labor and delivery room, patient rooms and a pediatric unit
• The Critical Care Unit will have a realistic, simulated emergency department, trauma unit, intensive care unit and imaging room
• Procedural Skills Labs Pre-briefing and debriefing rooms for session preparation and review of recorded sessions

Level 3 – iEXCEL Surgical and Interventional Skills: Advanced surgical skills training in replicated ORs using fresh tissue and surgical simulators. The facility provides a venue for collaboration with industry for training workshops and research and development. Includes:

• Surgical Skills Suite with 20 OR bays and a command center for recording and broadcasting locally, nationally and globally
• Hybrid OR/Interventional Suite for surgical training sessions
• Surgical Skills Labs with surgical simulators to practice and improve essential skills including hand eye coordination, depth perception and suturing

The Davis Global Center Also Supports VR and Rural Mobile Sim Programs

The Davis Global Center is also home to the Simulation in Motion-Nebraska (SIM-NE) a statewide, mobile education system bringing state-of-the-art hands-on training, using high-fidelity human patient simulators, to pre-hospital and hospital professionals throughout Nebraska. SIM-NE provides standardized high-quality training to ensure consistent outcomes to rural EMS agencies and critical access hospital emergency rooms across the state.

Additionally, the Center also houses the EON Reality VR Innovation Academy (VRIA) which provides AR/VR skills training to students looking to enhance their careers. The course includes an intensive study in the underpinnings of various focus areas such as AR/VR, 3D content creation, coding and project management. Students also experience a project-based learning period, providing the opportunity to be part of a team project and build confidence in their skills. Upon completion, students will receive an EON Reality AR/VR Developer Certification.

Learn More on the Global Davis Center Website!

About the Author: Lance Baily

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Lance Baily, BA, EMT-B, is the Founder & CEO of HealthySimulation.com, which he started while serving as the Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas back in 2010. Lance is also the Founder and acting Advisor to the Board of SimGHOSTS.org, the world’s only non-profit organization dedicated to supporting professionals operating healthcare simulation technologies. His co-edited Book: “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” is cited as a key source for professional certification in the industry. Lance’s background also includes serving as a Simulation Technology Specialist for the LA Community College District, EMS fire fighting, Hollywood movie production, rescue diving, and global travel. He and his wife Abigail Baily, PhD live in Las Vegas, Nevada with their two amazing daughters.