Mount Sinai's Simulation Teaching and Research (STAR) Center has earned four prestigious accreditations from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. The STAR Center becomes the only center in the world to be accredited simultaneously in Research, Teaching and Education, Systems Integration, and Fellowship Program. These awards honor the Center's industry-leading simulation-based education and training programs and recognize compliance with the Society for Simulation in Healthcare's strict international standards.
The Simulation Teaching and Research Center—part of Mount Sinai's Department of Emergency Medicine—provides simulation-based training to health care professionals across the Mount Sinai Health System, including those in the Institute for Critical Care Medicine; the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Science; the Department of Pediatrics; the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine; Emergency Medical Service, and nursing staff. The STAR Center recreates a clinical environment using advanced patient simulators that mimic patients, including their breathing, speaking, and pulse. It tailors training programs for each area of medicine to improve staff knowledge, skills, and attitudes, ultimately leading to improved patient care and patient outcomes.
"We are excited to earn these prestigious accreditations—having our programs accredited means students, trainees, faculty, and staff are receiving comprehensive, well-designed, and thoughtful education which in turn leads to better patient care. Our clinicians are better prepared to care for our patients because of the simulation-based training they receive," says Jared Kutzin, DNP, MS, MPH, RN, FSSH, Director of the STAR Center. "Simulation provides a great opportunity to build innovative programs, collaborate across disciplines and sites, and push the boundaries of clinical education. Achieving accreditation in four content areas demonstrates our commitment to working across the Health System, educating current and future clinicians, and developing the next generation of simulation educators."
The STAR Center went through a rigorous five-month review process between November 2020 and April 2021. It included extensive data collection and a thorough report on policies, procedures, and outcomes, along with a virtual site review and interviews with leadership, faculty, and program participants. Reviewers from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare conducted an exhaustive analysis of key indicators of compliance including:
- Evaluating simulation-based education for medical students, residents, fellows, faculty members, and nurses
- Integration with the Health System to facilitate our clinicians providing the highest-quality, safest care to patients
- Assessing the environment of care to improve patient safety and the patient experience
- Collaboration among departments, divisions, and specialties throughout the Health System
- Training and educating the next generation of clinical educators
- Conducting innovative research on educational methodologies, systems of care, and the care environment.
"Recognition by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare means we have moved beyond our early years as a center, becoming a more formal, rigorous program with the highest possible standards," says Chris Strother, MD, Medical Director of the STAR Center. "Going forward, we aim to continue our growth in space and capacity, and in the variety of learners, departments, and programs we offer. We strive to be regional and national leaders in simulation-based education, and to develop the next generation of educators. This accreditation is recognition that we are reaching that goal."
The STAR Center's accreditation runs through December 31, 2026. Since the accreditation program was launched in 2010, 200 simulation programs from 24 countries have earned accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
