Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) 2025 Reunion Weekend provided the opportunity for attendees to tour the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS) and to experience learning in a very different way. Alumni had the chance to actually participate in the learning process through the use of simulation.
On May 30 – 31, YSM welcomed alumni and guests for the Reunion. The schedule included programming and opportunities for alumni to reconnect and reminisce about their experiences at YSM and the impact on their careers, while rediscovering the campus of today. This cohort of alumni had not been back to campus for a reunion in 10 years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The YCHS team, led by Executive Director, Leigh Evans, MD, professor of emergency medicine, provided real hands-on experience for each of the participants. They explored the simulation rooms where they witnessed the capabilities of high-fidelity manikins. The alumni’s interactive experience came into play when they were able to participate in the Virtual Reality (VR) simulation sessions.
Each of the participants was fitted with a VR headset that placed them in a virtual room where they were able to practice by the bedside with the patient. They could simulate assessing a patient, which includes taking vitals, talking with the patient, and using a virtual stethoscope to hear breath sounds. “What a great experience,” stated one participant.
The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs partners with YCHS each year to provide an informative and fun learning experience for the returning alumni. "The tour of the YCHS is very popular," says Amanda Bassett, MBA, director of development, alumni affairs, and giving at YSM.
Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation mission statement: Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation (YCHS), a state-of-the-art center, strives to provide members of Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) and Yale School of Medicine (YSM) communities with a safe, ideal learning environment that fosters self-reflection, mutual respect and an integrated, interdisciplinary team spirit in order to optimize health care delivery and engender a culture committed to patient safety.