Inside a sprawling $43 million Veterans Affairs facility, complete with operating rooms, intensive care units, and an outpatient clinic, there are no patients—at least, not any real ones. This 53,000-square-foot building, located near Orlando International Airport, is the National Center for Simulation Validation, Evaluation, and Testing (SimVET). It serves as a cutting-edge hub where VA healthcare teams practice procedures and pilot new technologies without posing any risk to real patients.
SimVET, established in 2016, exemplifies the growing role of sophisticated simulation in healthcare. It allows clinicians to refine their responses to various medical scenarios, such as opioid overdoses or the deployment of new AI tools. By practicing in a controlled environment, they can identify and address potential issues, ensuring safety and feasibility before implementation.
The Veterans Health Administration, which serves 9 million veterans across 172 medical centers, has integrated simulation programs into each center, with some even having dedicated spaces for such activities. However, SimVET in Orlando stands out as the largest simulation center within the VA and one of the largest in the country. Dr. Scott Wiltz, the medical director of the VA’s Simulation Learning, Evaluation, Assessment, and Research Network (SimLEARN), emphasizes that the goal is to achieve the highest possible level of realism.
Unlike traditional medical training methods that often involve professional actors or virtual reality, SimVET offers an immersive experience. The facility features fully equipped operating rooms, complete with all the necessary medical apparatus and mannequins that respond realistically to anesthesia. These mannequins, which come in various skin tones, hairstyles, and facial features, can speak, move, and even develop complications, providing a realistic training environment.
Beyond its mannequins, SimVET mirrors a typical healthcare facility with its fluorescent-lit hallways and exam rooms, making it indistinguishable from a real medical center to the untrained eye. This attention to detail allows healthcare workers to feel as though they are in a real hospital, providing an invaluable training experience.
The facility’s primary objective is to allow healthcare professionals to "fail safely." This philosophy encourages teams to experiment, identify flaws, and refine their approaches without any risk to real patients. Amanda Borchers, a patient safety manager at the Lexington VA Medical Center, experienced this firsthand. Her team visited SimVET to improve their response to surgical emergencies, practicing procedures repeatedly and fine-tuning their protocols with the help of field experts.
By the end of their training week, Borchers and her team had developed a new medical code, “code SET” (Surgical Emergency Team), designed to address unexpected complications during surgery. This new protocol was rigorously tested and refined through simulations at their home medical center, preparing the team for real-life implementation. Borchers hopes to see "code SET" adopted nationwide, and it is already on its way to becoming a national program within the VA.
SimVET’s innovative approach to healthcare training is transforming how the VA prepares its staff to handle high-risk scenarios. By providing a safe space for medical professionals to practice and perfect their skills, SimVET ensures that veterans receive the highest quality of care.
