SAN DIEGO — May 7, 2015 — A unique emergency room in San Diego was set up during the week of May 4-7 with trauma casualties and very sick people requiring surgery, and second year medical students will be those performing surgeries.

The trauma resulted from overturned cars, active shooters, a high-rise fire, and improvised explosive devices. Real firefighters, paramedics, and police will be the first responders at the scene. All this occurred at Strategic Operations (STOPS) on the back lot of Stu Segall Productions TV/film studio, and the ER and operating rooms are simulation labs constructed for a very unique – first of its kind in the nation – Intensive Surgical Skills Course (ISSC). Strategic Operations is located at 4705 Ruffin Road in San Diego, Calif.

From May 4-7, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) in Parker, Colorado and Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB) conducted the ISSC at STOPS’ Simulation Lab. Overhead catwalks and video camera systems enabled live viewing and after action review. Forty-five live-action, Hyper-Realistic™ simulations of both medical and surgical problems were created, immersing the participants from point of injury all the way through the ER and OR.

Twenty-six surgeries were performed on live humans – wearing Strategic Operations’ simulators called “Cut Suits.” Twenty-five second-year medical students, many teaching faculty and visiting surgeons and physicians, as well as surgical and ER residents and staff from Balboa Naval Hospital participated in the training.

“Medical students commonly state that they do not truly understand or recognize a textbook description of a disease or a syndrome until they experience the clinically applicable version of it,” said Strategic Operations Executive Vice President Kit Lavell. “In efforts to reduce the gaps in knowledge and technical skills prior to starting third-year clinical clerkships as well as improve competencies and confidence, this week-long ISSC mimicked a General Surgery rotation.”

Lavell said the ISSC utilized the “Cut Suit,” a human worn surgical simulator, stress-immersion, and other educational modalities in an effort to better prepare RVUCOM’s medical students for their third-year surgical and emergency medicine rotations. RVUCOM was the first medical school to incorporate the “Cut Suit” into medical student education, and when integrated into an ISSC, it provided that hands-on experience prior to clinical clerkships by presenting real-life scenarios to medical students in a flexible, safe, efficient and cost-conscious manner.

Rocky Vista University (RVU) is a health sciences university located in Parker, Colorado. RVU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (RVUCOM) was founded in 2006 and opened its doors in August of 2008, enrolling students in its four year program of study leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. The University is located in a 145,000-square-foot contemporary facility on twenty acres, housing the latest in classroom, lecture, laboratory and audiovisual equipment, with additional instruction conducted at numerous teaching hospitals throughout the state of Colorado. Rocky Vista University provides quality healthcare education while inspiring students to serve with compassion, integrity and excellence. For more information, visit www.rvu.edu or call 720-875-2804.

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences graduates more physicians annually than any other medical school in Missouri. Active in the Kansas City medical community since 1916, KCUMB is one of the oldest and largest of the nation’s 29 colleges of osteopathic medicine. KCUMB is known as a leader in osteopathic medical education, with an educational environment that emphasizes both academic excellence and the education of caring physicians who place their patients’ needs above all else. For more information, visit http://www.kcumb.edu/about/ or call 816-654-7000.

About Strategic Operations
Strategic Operations Inc., on the lot of Stu Segall Productions, a full-service TV / movie studio in San Diego, Calif., provides “Hyper-RealisticTM” training services and products for military, law enforcement and other organizations responsible for homeland security. The company employs state-of-the-art Hollywood battlefield special effects, combat wound effects, medical simulation systems like the “Cut Suit,” role players, subject matter experts, and training scenarios to create training environments that are the most unique in the industry. Over the last 13 years Strategic Operations has provided Hyper-RealisticTM training support to more than 750,000 military – and civilian first responders – in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit Strategic Operations.

Coverage of the ISSC included:

Front page story in the San Diego Union-Tribune — Coverage is HERE

CNN — Coverage is HERE

ABC San Diego — Coverage is HERE

KPBS San Diego — Coverage is HERE

San Diego 6 News — Coverage is HERE

MarketWatch — Coverage is HERE

MedSim Magazine — Coverage is HERE

YouTube — Coverage is HERE