Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the most recent edition of CWRU Medicine magazine. Learn more about the magazine.
Monitors and medical devices beep and whirr amid gurneys rolling down a terrazzo corridor. In a high-tech simulation suite at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, a team of medical students are racing through a hospital—and against the clock—to reach their patient in the operating room.
They need to correctly answer questions to unlock the next stage of this escape-room-like scenario. To find the right answers, they interact with the clinical environment projected onto the walls that also act as touchscreens—letting students read electrocardiograms, calculate glomerular filtration rates and find other health data.
This hands-on, active-learning approach helps students sharpen their critical thinking and teamwork skills in real time.
“Students become immersed in the experience, handling all of the stressors simultaneously so they can be better prepared for real-life situations,” said Lia Logio, MD, professor and vice dean for medical education. “It also makes learning fun—and teams experience deep learning together.”
The medical school’s new Zubizarreta Immersive Learning Suite (ZILS), completed in the fall 2023, is one of the only facilities of its kind in the country. Early-adopter faculty members are creating realistic medical scenarios to reinforce key concepts through gamification—turning learning into an interactive and engaging game.
The medical school has hosted demonstrations and workshops to showcase the suite’s potential and explore how to integrate its new technologies into the curriculum.
“This suite pushes the boundaries of learning, discovery and creativity,” said Miguel Zubizarreta (CWR ’90), the facility’s namesake and chief technology officer of Westlake, Ohio-based software company Hyland. “The technology allows us to continually expand comprehensive learning experiences for students.”
Future simulations could include a busy labor and delivery suite, a dialysis unit or even triage scenarios at the finish line of a marathon. By combining core medical knowledge with the latest technologies and teamwork, ZILS continues the School of Medicine’s tradition of innovative teaching methods in a culture that prioritizes inter-professional learning.
“It shows our innovative spirit and empowers students,” Logio said. “Encouraging a love of learning is vital, so we must provide the right tools to inspire curiosity while helping future doctors do their best work.”