High-tech Training Facility will Assist Area Surgeons in Perfecting Skills
Reflecting a commitment to bringing advanced medicine to Chicago's northwest suburbs, Alexian Brothers Hospital Network (ABHN) has a state-of-the-art training site where physicians, nurses and technicians can learn in a hands-on environment how to perform the latest diagnostic and surgical procedures.
The Alexian Advanced Medicine Learning Laboratory is a 2,400 square-foot facility - located at 1786 Moon Lake Boulevard in Hoffman Estates - is one of only a few such learning labs in the country.
The lab includes a 27-person conference room and a spacious, fully equipped operating room with four stations for simulated surgeries and other procedures. The center features a "telemedicine" system with sophisticated audiovisual equipment, allowing trainees to participate interactively in lectures by off-site instructors and to witness live cases at ABHN hospitals and elsewhere. The system also can be used to broadcast training sessions, including simulated surgeries, to other Alexian, and non-Alexian locations.
A typical training session at the center may involve an interactive presentation by an expert speaking in person or from a remote location about a particular procedure. The lecture can be followed by a closed-circuit broadcast of the procedure being performed live. Trainees then can practice the procedure in the skills lab, using either cadavers or other biomaterials. No procedures will be performed on live subjects at the center.
The operating room is large and open enough for instructors and trainees to circulate easily and observe simulated procedures as they progress.
The center is available to ABHN personnel for training in advanced medical procedures and for continuing medical education (CME) courses. The Learning Lab also is available for rental by medical equipment manufacturers and other outside organizations that are involved in clinical education and have working agreements with ABHN.
While ABHN has made a significant investment in the development of the learning lab, the network also has received strong support from medical equipment suppliers, who have contributed a wide variety of equipment to the center.
