CHHS
Medical Simulation Center
Community Outreach

Community Outreach Programs

Salisbury University is centrally located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a predominantly rural peninsula extending hundreds of miles between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area offers endless recreational opportunities and is a popular summer vacation destination, but recruiting and sustaining an adequate healthcare workforce in the region is challenging.

Declining student interest in the health sciences is a concern in all rural communities. Research suggests that K-12 students with rural roots who are repeatedly exposed to the health sciences are more likely to consider a health professional career.

The Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center at Salisbury University is committed to the early socialization of underexposed youth to the health sciences because it can have a substantial impact on their decision to pursue a health professional career resulting in an increased pipeline of clinical practitioners back into the local rural communities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Delaware Adolescent Program Healthcare Careers Exploration

The Richard A. Henson Simulation Center recently hosted 15 Delaware Adolescent Program (DAPI) students from Sussex County at the Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center.

DAPI is the only statewide alternative school environment for pregnant and parenting teens in Delaware. The program has enjoyed an average 98% graduation rate of seniors for the last 4 years with a 98% rate in transitioning younger students back to their home school.

DAPI’s holistic approach to supporting the entire student results in above-average success in academic and health outcomes as well as giving a good foundation in life skills with the tools necessary for economic success. We will be expanding the Sim Center experience next Fall to include DAPI students from Kent and New Castle Counties.
SchooLARA-4-STEM Healthcare Careers Exploration

The Richard A. Henson Simulation Center participates in an annual SchooLARS-4-STEM back-to-school community event.

SchooLARS-4-STEM is a grassroots non-profit program focused on fostering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) interest in underrepresented K-12 students in Accomack, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. The overarching mission of SchooLARS-4-STEM is to mentor a pipeline of students with STEM competencies for the future workforce development needs of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

The Simulation Center booth typically features an activity focused on how simulation technology is used with Salisbury University health professional students. Pictured here, is a Standardized Patient (Actor) who is wearing a prosthetic anterior/posterior chest, which can be programmed with different heart and lung sounds to mimic various disease states.
University of Stirling Study Abroad Simulation Experience

The College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) recently hosted a group of nursing and paramedic students from the University of Stirling, Scotland, for a week-long residency that allowed them to learn about health care in the U.S.

The residency was centered at the Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center and involved CHHS School of Nursing faculty, Sim Center Staff, and Standardized Patients. The Standardized Patients at the Sim Center are actors who are trained to portray a variety of medical encounters with students preparing for careers in the health professions. The students from Scotland engaged in simulations along side CHHS nursing students that involved a variety of psychiatric and mental health scenarios during the residency.

Ellie Kettrick who is completing her nursing degree at Stirling, said, “The quality of the simulations was excellent! We learned so much by working with the fabulous standardized patients.”
Wicomico County Elementary Schools Simulation Experience

A hands-on experiential healthcare learning program was designed, developed, and implemented by the Richard A. Henson Simulation Center to help augment the Wicomico County School District’s “Medical Marvels” curricular unit for 314 students enrolled in the gifted and talented elementary school program. During each day of the 5-day simulation-based program student groups ranging from 12 to 15 rotated through five 1-hour immersive sessions where they were tasked with identifying, treating and discussing the probable causes of a variety of disease states utilizing a variety of simulation-based technologies.

The respiratory system session had students working with a standardized patient (actor) wearing a prosthetic simulated lung to explore the potential cause of emphysema. Then, they walked through treating a hospitalized pediatric robotic patient manikin experiencing an asthma exacerbation. After initializing a nebulizer treatment, students questioned the “patient’s” grandmother (actor) to try to determine the cause of the asthma attack. Next, students explored, identified, and dissected the organs of the digestive and urinary systems with virtual cadaver tables. The cardiovascular and nervous system session had students working with a robotic patient manikin to explore the symptomatic differences between a cardiac arrest and stroke. In the simulated wilderness scenario, students learned how to treat a variety of standardized patient (actors’) musculoskeletal injuries by using found materials in nature to create splints and slings. In a simulated kitchen, students learned how to recognize anaphylaxis and use an Epi-Pen on a pediatric robotic patient manikin. Then, they learned how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a choking infant and practiced properly dislodging the obstruction with an infant task trainer.
Mardela High School Careers Exploration

Mardela High School is committed to provide students with a distinctive career and college exploration program. Students have the opportunity to participate in practical experiences, educational outings, expert talks, and personalized sessions with their enthusiastic career coach, Ms. Amy Rhodes. These resources and tools enable students to explore a variety of career paths and aid in future planning.

A highlight of the program was a recent visit to the Richard A. Henson Simulation Center at Salisbury University, where 18 students were able to engage in hands-on activities and utilize advanced technology to learn about different health-related professions.

Mardela High School is committed to offering these opportunities, emphasizing the importance of local career paths and enabling students to expand their horizons and establish meaningful connections within the community.