Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1157351
20 The high-tech manikin might be made of plastic and rubber, but the husband or wife, son or daughter, mother or father, or sister or brother alongside it is a living, breathing part of the medical team in the Simulation Center at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. Simulation experiences are being embedded in the training of each new class of medical students, reflecting an earlier emphasis on hands-on clinical experiences, teamwork and working with other medical professionals. "So much of our time is spent in the classroom, and simulation brings it full circle so we can really apply our knowledge," said Bethany Zidek, now a second-year medical student from Onaga, Kansas. "It's a nice, broad overview of what we have learned over time." "When you learn things in a book, you get the facts but you don't know how to apply that in an actual situation," said Norelia Ordonez-Castillo, now a second-year student who grew up in Goodland, Kansas. "It's not completely high stakes yet, but it allows you to get that experience beforehand." Training extends beyond medical students In addition to teaching medical students, the Simulation Center and its sta are a resource for physicians, health professionals and others in the community. For example, the center has provided code blue simulations for internal medicine residents at Wesley Medical Center and the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, and is developing training for providers at Wesley, the VA and Ascension Via Christi. Nursing students from Wichita State University and Newman University have SimLab Simulation Center extends practice of medicine, teamwork to community