Procedural and simulation training

Residents are expected to meet the majority of Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) procedural requirements via patient care experiences while rotating on clinical rotations. However, our program has designed several opportunities for additional procedural and simulation experiences to further increase procedural volume and educational experiences.

Simulation and procedural training are a cornerstone of the residency educational program. We integrate high-fidelity simulation, task trainers, and immersive team-based scenarios into the curriculum to ensure residents develop critical thinking, procedural proficiency, and communication skills essential for emergency care.

Additional procedural skills training

Residents gain hands-on experience with essential emergency procedures using:

• Task trainers for ultrasound-guided vascular access, lumbar puncture, and central line placement
• Airway trainers for endotracheal intubation, surgical airway management, and video laryngoscopy
• Cadaver labs for advanced procedural training and anatomy review

High-fidelity simulation

Residents participate in regular simulation sessions using high-fidelity mannequins and advanced audiovisual systems in the Mayo Clinic Simulation Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to replicate real-world clinical environments. Scenarios are tailored to reinforce core emergency medicine competencies. Each session is followed by structured debriefing to promote reflective learning, feedback, and growth.

Interdisciplinary and in-situ simulation

Residents engage in interdisciplinary simulations that mirror the collaborative nature of emergency medicine. These sessions bring together emergency medicine, nursing, pharmacy, trauma surgery, and other teams to refine communication and coordination in high-stakes situations.

In addition, in-situ simulations are conducted within the actual emergency department at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona to train under realistic conditions and evaluate team dynamics, workflows, and systems-based practice.

Simulation for professional development

Simulation is also used to teach and evaluate higher-level competencies such as:

• Team leadership in resuscitation
• Conflict resolution and professionalism
• Health equity and cultural humility
• Crisis resource management

Residents have the opportunity to participate in simulation research, develop educational scenarios, and present their simulation-based innovations at regional and national meetings.