Situated in the eastern end of the Las Vegas Medical District, the 31,000-square-foot Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas (CSCLV) houses a unique hands-on simulation education program that has trained more than 3,500 nurses, medical students, and community members in the past six years to become successful health and medical professionals.

The center’s staff trains students and residents from three schools:
– Nevada State College School of Nursing
– University of Nevada, Las Vegas – School of Nursing
-University of Nevada School of Medicine

Several community organizations also participate in the CSCLV for certification or specialized training, including:
– Mercy Air
– Parallon
– UNLV Educational Outreach

Students and community professionals learn, practice, and hone their necessary skills using an array of low, mid, and high fidelity training tools, where fidelity denotes the level of realism. Much of the training is done on a specialized training mannequin called a “manikin.” Those training during a low fidelity session may use a manikin arm to practice drawing blood, or a head and torso to complete an intubation. Manikins used during a mid fidelity session enable students to hear normal and abnormal heart, lung, and bowel sounds.

High fidelity scenarios may include specially trained actors, or anatomically accurate manikins that can simulate a wide range of bodily functions, reactions, and verbal responses.

During the high fidelity scenarios, faculty and staff monitor student performance from the center’s control room, where they can also cause the manikins to ‘speak,’ blink eyes, or display physiological changes such as dropping blood pressure or rapid breathing.

Since opening during 2009, the CSCLV has:
– Conducted more than 4,000 simulations.
– Manufactured nearly 30 gallons of “blood.”
– Delivered the birthing manikin’s baby nearly 1,200 times.

The CSCLV has been coordinating training times with other community organizations, and is prepared to begin hosting UNLV School of Medicine students during fall semester 2017.

For more information, visit Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas (CSCLV).

Photo: Courtesy of Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas