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Dr. Leonard Lamsen Named Simulation Center Director
Leonard Lamsen, MD, Emergency Medicine Fellowship Director, was recently named Medical Director of the University of Tennessee Medical Center for Advanced Medical Simulation (UTCAMS). He graduated as the first fellow from the UTCAMS Medical Education and Simulation Fellowship Program in 2019 and was named Medical Co-Director with Sperry Nelson, MD, who retired in January.
Dr. Lamsen is an alumnus of the Family Medicine Residency and Emergency Medicine Fellowship programs at the UT Graduate School of Medicine. He joined the faculty as the Emergency Medicine Fellowship Director in 2012. At that time, Dr. Lamsen did not know his career path would lead him to medical simulation.
Dr. Lamsen began utilizing the resources in UTCAMS for educational activities with his fellows. He then became a co-instructor in simulation courses sponsored by TEAMHealth and became aware of the powerful impact simulated training has on physicians.
He said, “During these activities, the participants were so engaged, and sometimes emotional, about what we were doing. The feedback that we received from our participants was that they felt more confident and able to use what they learned immediately in their work. I can't say that individuals receive that kind of engagement when using traditional lecture-based activities.”
Dr. Lamsen decided the UTCAMS Medical Education and Simulation Fellowship was an opportunity he had a calling for. He said, “As a simulation fellow, I learned about what went on behind the scenes and how to provide a better experience for my learners.
“I learned core simulation practices including curriculum development, debriefing, and learner assessment. I learned how to use different simulation modalities from task-trainers to high-fidelity manikins. I also had the opportunity to see how other departments in the Graduate School of Medicine and around the hospital use simulation in their educational activities.”
Dr. Lamsen said that future plans for UTCAMS include applying for Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) accreditation. The Center is already a Level I Comprehensive Accredited Education Institute (AEI) from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). The Level I designation is the top accreditation available. Dr. Lamsen also plans to build a faculty development program to teach best practices to faculty who are interested in integrating more simulation into their educational activities.
Pictured (taken in 2019) L-R: Dean Paul Hauptman, Dr. Sperry Nelson, Dr. Mitchell Goldman, Dr. William Metheny, Dr. Paul Huffstutter, Dr. Leonard Lamsen, Judy Roark, Don Burnett, Melinda Klar, Dr. Sujatta Datta
Posted: May 27, 2020