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Integrating Simulation-Based Exercises into Public Health Emergency Management Curricula

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2019

Natasha Sanchez Cristal ,
Noel Metcalf ,
Debra Kreisberg  and
Charles M. Little
Natasha Sanchez Cristal
Affiliation:
Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
Noel Metcalf
Affiliation:
Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO
Debra Kreisberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, COlorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO
Charles M. Little
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine; University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Debra Kreisberg, 13001 E 17th Place, Mail Stop B119, Aurora, CO 80045, (e-mail: Debra.Kreisberg@UCDenver.Edu)
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Abstract

The aim of this study is to enrich public health emergency management (PHEM) curricula and increase the workforce readiness of graduates through the implementation of an innovative curriculum structure centered around simulation and the creation of authentic learning experiences into a mastery-based Disaster Preparedness graduate certificate program launched in 2016 at the Colorado School of Public Health. Learners progress through a sequence of increasingly complex discussion and operations-based exercises designed to align with training methodologies used by future employers in the disaster response field, covering PHEM fundamentals and domestic and international disaster preparedness and response. Preliminary feedback is overwhelmingly positive, equating the experience to securing an internship. Embedding simulation-based exercises and authentic learning environments into graduate curricula exposes learners to diverse disaster scenarios, provides occasion for practicing critical thinking and dynamic problem solving, increases familiarity with anticipated emergency situations, and builds the confidence necessary for exercising judgment in a real-world situation. This novel curriculum should serve as a model for graduate programs wishing to enrich traditional training tactics using a typical school of public health support and alignment with community resources. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:777–781)

Keywords

disaster preparedness and responseemergency managementsimulation
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , August 2019 , pp. 777 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 

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