Jarrod Young, BSBME, simulation operations lead at the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received certification as a Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist (CHSOS) by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
He is the only one in Tennessee to hold the certification, according to CHIPS executive director Chad Epps, MD. The certification measures health care simulation staff knowledge in simulation concepts, modalities, technologies, program practices, processes and procedures, professional development, instructional design, and theory.
“As the operations lead for CHIPS, I think receiving this certification shows that we are dedicated to making sure that our processes and procedures are best practice and that we are making decisions that are in line with other top simulation centers around the world,” Young said. The $39.7 million state-of-the-art building officially opened May 11.
Young joined UTHSC in 2016. He graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he practiced in the field of rehabilitation engineering, working with individuals with disabilities on finding technological solutions to assist them in gaining employment and success in education.
He said he was always drawn to the medical field, and health care simulation gave him the opportunity to practice in a new area.
“Part of my reason to make the change in my career was the interest in how people were able to use engineering and technology to create these manikins that came to life,” Young said. “It is amazing to see a learner be able to suspend their disbelief and connect to a manikin in the same way that they would a real-life patient. After seeing the power of simulation, I knew that I wanted to play a part in training our next generation of clinicians so that they are more prepared than ever when they go into their clinical setting.”
CHIPS is the only building of its kind in the state of Tennessee built for and totally dedicated to training and developing clinical skills through the use of simulation technology. The 45,000 square-foot, three-story building is being utilized by all six colleges at UTHSC and houses up to $6 million in simulation equipment. Multiple clinical rooms, control rooms and debriefing rooms are used in the facility to train students on clinical and interpersonal communication skills with standardized patients and other health care disciplines.
Young said that CHIPS has the potential to have three more staff members hold the CHSOS certification within the next 9 months and another staff member, Teresa Britt, MSN, RN, director of interprofessional education and clinical simulation, holds the Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE) title.
“The thing I enjoy most about working in CHIPS is the overall vision and goals of our center. We truly do strive to make changes that will positively affect future health care outcomes,” Young said. “Dr. Epps is a great leader and we have an amazing team that works hard, day in and day out, to give UTHSC and the Memphis area the best possible experience in clinical simulations. Our new building is state-of-the-art and the technology and manikins that we have would make most health care simulationists envious.”