Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Critical Care Transport (PCCT) team spent a recent afternoon with the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation, practicing their skills in a scenario that could mimic a life-changing event.
The team transports infants, children and young adults who require a higher level of care from outlying medical facilities to YNHCH, providing pediatric intensive care during transport.
During the recent simulation the team prepared to pick up a 1-year-old who was in respiratory distress. However, when team members entered the simulation room at Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS), they were presented with a different patient, who was receiving CPR. With no preparation, they had to stabilize this patient (a simulation manikin) and prepare for transport.
The simulation continued in the PCCT ambulance, which was parked outside YCHS. In the simulation, the ambulance “broke down” en route to YNHCH and had no power. PCCT team members had to quickly develop and execute a plan to care for their patient.
Michael Goldman, MD, PCCT medical director and associate professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, and Thomas Martin, RN, patient services manager, YNHCH Transport, led the simulation training. During a debriefing, they complimented PCCT team members for thinking on their feet and providing excellent care throughout the simulation. Team members said they appreciated the opportunity to partner with YCHS to train in a safe learning space.
