Simulation Lab

Bedside procedure teaching: All interns have training in POCUS and bedside procedures, such as endotracheal intubation, paracentesis, thoracentesis, and arterial and central lines.

Skills labs, cadaver labs, and simulators: All incoming residents have a skills lab at orientation to acquaint them with basic techniques of instrumentation, tissue mechanics, suture mechanics, and suture materials. Faculty run weekly didactic sessions using human cadaver specimens, focusing on anatomy and technical skills, for the first three months of every academic year. General Surgery residents also use a simulator for upper and lower GI endoscopy training and undergo simulation training for robotic surgery. In addition, residents use simulators to further develop skills, including knot tying, suturing, bronchoscopy, and laparoscopy. Residents also participate in mock trauma codes.

Case-based scenarios: Residents have dedicated simulation sessions using a manikin for acute medical care simulations during their intern year. These sessions introduce residents to crisis resource management, interprofessional team training, and debriefing, and are designed to develop residents’ critical thinking and leadership skills in cases requiring a rapid clinical response. Interns also spend a day at the UCLA simulation lab participating in acute care scenarios.