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Office of Interprofessional Simulation, Training, Assessment, Research and Safety (ISTARS)

The University of Mississippi Medical Center champions patient safety, error reduction and interprofessional health professions education through the use of simulation techniques and instrumentation.

The Office of ISTARS was awarded Provisional Accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) in December 2018. This provisional status was in effect from December 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022.

Simulation encompasses use of artificial models (computer models, skills trainers, manikins) with varying degrees of fidelity to the human state, application of role-playing to model communication among professional team members and with patients and family, and interaction of trainees with standardized patients in scenarios mimicking actual clinical encounters. This training environment permits trainees to develop proficiency in life-saving, invasive, communication and clinical reasoning skills prior to exposure to actual patients.

Simulation also can dynamically assess critical needs in patient care processes, unit organization and team relationships within actual practice structures, all of which advance patient safety and reduce medical errors.

The four academic units that support simulation-based education include:

• Basic and Advanced Resuscitation Training Center
• Judith Gore Gearhart Clinical Skills Center
• Simulation and Interprofessional Education Center