When the Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation (CHIPS) opened in 2018, it transformed how the University of Tennessee Health Science Center prepared students for clinical care. With a recent round of major technology upgrades, CHIPS is again redefining what is possible, making high-quality simulation training more accessible, flexible, and forward-looking than ever.
Over the past year and a half, CHIPS has undergone a major upgrade to its audio-visual systems, a transformation that not only enhanced the quality of simulation recordings but also expanded the center’s reach far beyond the Memphis campus.
“We began an assessment to look at upskilling our audio-visual equipment,” says Jarrod Young, director of Operations, Technology, and Business Development at CHIPS. “This technology helps us be able to support medical education by capturing simulation activities, whether it’s manikin scenarios or encounters with standardized patients.”
These recordings are critical for both assessment and self-reflection. Students can review their performances to identify areas for improvement, and instructors can evaluate clinical competencies with precision. “It allows us to have a one-stop shop, basically, for all learners to come through, pull up their account, and either see the evaluations or self-assess their performance,” Young says.
But the upgrade wasn’t just about sharper cameras and clearer audio. It marked a strategic shift from a fixed, on-site system to a cloud-based model that dramatically increases flexibility, scalability, and longevity.
“The new upgrade helps with the volume of information we must store, enhanced speed for accessing simulation recordings, and better integration of assessment tools and data metrics for individual students or aggregate performance of groups. The performance of the technology itself is superior in many ways,” says Tara Lemoine, DO, executive director of CHIPS. “All that can fundamentally streamline our faculty’s workload and provide a better experience for students.”
More importantly, Dr. Lemoine says, the technology now allows for simulation-based education in locations outside the Memphis campus. From anywhere with internet access, students can use their handheld devices to record simulations and push the recordings into the cloud for faculty review. “You could be in your house or out of the country, and we could have you log into your phone or another device, remotely activated by us, and do a simulation in real time,” she says.
Developing remote capabilities will be especially valuable for students and instructors across the statewide campuses. “We can capitalize on this technology to incorporate engagement of more programs across the state and create a more robust simulation footprint for learning,” Dr. Lemoine says. “For example, audiology students could participate in interprofessional simulation with students from other colleges or have access to our expertise here at CHIPS for their educational experiences. We can do things in ways never before possible for all our UT Health Science Center students, no matter where they are located.”
Young emphasizes that the upgraded system was retrofitted directly to the center’s needs and represents “the top-of-the-line system that’s available on the market.” The investment, he says, was a testament to senior leadership’s commitment to advancing education.
That commitment is reflected in CHIPS’s standing among peer institutions. In January 2025, Becker’s Hospital Review included CHIPS in its list of “64 simulation and education programs to know.” The introduction to the list reads, “By leveraging state-of-the-art technology and lifelike simulations, these programs drive better patient outcomes, lower health care costs, and improve patient safety. They provide a secure environment where providers can develop expertise through hands-on practice.”
As an accredited simulation program since 2021, CHIPS adheres to foundational principles of simulation education, including the use of best-in-class technology. But staying at the forefront requires more than a one-time upgrade — it demands ongoing support.
“Just like your laptop or your phone, every couple of years technology advances and changes,” Young says. “There’s going to be a need for continual improvements in our space as we continue to strive to put forward technology and educational experiences for all our learners.”
That includes reinvesting in high-functioning equipment like manikins and staying informed about emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. “This field is always changing, so we always have to stay on the front end of assessing what we need to invest in for the future of our learners or what is maybe a catchy, flashy new feature that isn’t worth spending money on,” Young says.
Maintaining and servicing specialized equipment also requires financial and operational support. “We rely on all of our equipment to provide simulation education,” Young says. “So, we have to keep warranties, stay educated on how to troubleshoot and put in corrective maintenance, or know who to call to get this equipment back up and running whenever it breaks or needs service.”
Ultimately, the success of the latest technology upgrade was a collaborative endeavor. “It was a multi-departmental effort between CHIPS, executive leadership, and campus IT,” Young says. “Without all those parties together, we wouldn’t have had such a smooth transition and smooth integration of this technology.”
With the new system fully operational, CHIPS is still exploring how to work with programs statewide to fully leverage the upgraded features to expand opportunities. It is clear, though, that this investment has reinforced the center’s standing among the nation’s best, positioning it to continue leading the way in simulation-based medical education.