SIMRAP

SIMRAP was established through a partnership between Kern County's resident undergraduates and the Kern Medical Simulation Center. Its mission is to enhance the realism of medical simulations, promote educational research and model development, and support the career development of undergraduate students pursuing health professions. SIMRAP places a strong emphasis on simulation, clinical skills, standardized patient roles, and healthcare professional education.

SIMRAP is a good fit for volunteers interested in all departments of the hospital, including multiple specialties with an emphasis on healthcare professional education, high and low fidelity mannequins, and education research.

• Minimum 18 years of age
• Undergraduate or post-baccalaureate pre-health professionals
• Reliable transportation
• Positive disposition and readiness to collaborate within a team.

Volunteer commitment: (1 academic year)

• Minimum 4 hours and/or 2 simulations each month (specific day commitments are preferred and will be scheduled when accepted to the program.)
• Citi certification within 4 weeks of starting.
• Participation in at least 1 research project after CITI certification.

What we get at the Sim Center from you:

1. Nurse/Tech actors: Part of what the doctors-in-training need is a team to lead as they learn how to run trauma resuscitations and medical ACLS ‘codes’
2. Setup/Take down assistance: The simulations require preparations, ranging from dressing and moulaging the manikin, bringing supplies to and from the room and cleaning up afterwards.
3. Help with research: We need volunteers to help with writing up studies, IRB’s, data entry and submissions for our educational research, model development and our new simulation cases.

What you get from the Sim Center from us:

1. Clinical knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA): Medicine has its own language and culture, in addition to all the scholastic learning. Additionally, there are many skills (such as putting a patient on a cardiac monitor, spiking an IV bag and Bag-Valve-Mask assisting respirations) that you will learn as a SIM RApper!
2. Letter of Recommendation: We will write a LOR for you when you apply to medical, nursing, or PA school detailing your commitment and research endeavors, as well as chronicling the skills which you have learned at the sim center.
3. Standardized Patient Training: If you desire/are open, we will train you how to act as a patient. This will help you both to understand the educational process but also how the patient experience is felt, which will contribute and deepen your path to healthcare delivery.
4. CITI certification and valuable research experience, potentially leading to publications: You will receive training in research methodology and design, and your name will be added to authorship credits, bolstering your resume/CV.

Click here to apply.