Welcome to the The STRATUS Sphere newsletter!
 

NASA + STRATUS | CONSTRUCTION BEGINS
 

STRATUS has been funded by NASA's National Space Biomedical Research Institute to develop a non-technical skills measurement tool and medical simulation platform emulating medical care in space, to support astronaut crews in their response to medical emergencies in deep space. The project is a collaborative effort between STRATUS and partners at McMaster University and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Initial work included bringing together a multidisciplinary team of thought leaders in simulation, human factors, spaceflight, emergency medicine, and surgery to determine study strategy. 

Construction of the medical bay, designed to replicate the International Space Station medical bay, began in February 2017 at the Neil and Elise Wallace STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation. The replica will enable the study team to develop and calibrate measurement tools, enhance non-technical skills, and conduct filmed scenarios, with the ultimate goal of minimizing errors and improving patient safety for deep space exploration. 

For more information, please contact Steven Yule, PhD, Director of Education & Research at STRATUS.

STRATUS WELCOMES VISITING SCHOLARS FROM SAUDI ARABIA
 

FEATURED PROGRAM: ORTHOPEDICS "BOOT CAMP"
 

In mid-March, STRATUS hosted the Orthopedics “Boot Camp” for the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency Program (HCORP). This marks the 4th year of this tradition, now a highlight of orthopedic training at Harvard.
 

The  4-week workshop is designed to provide 1^st year residents with a standardized set of skills to add to their "toolbox". By learning in a “safe” environment, where mistakes can be made without patient or trainee harm, and through hands-on simulation-based training, the learners can fine-tune both their technical and non-technical skills. Topics include OR set-up, suturing, basic operative procedures and instrument skills, microsurgery, evaluation of patients in the emergency department, casting, and more.

The core objective of the program is education. The orthopedic faculty feel confident that this approach to learning is far more efficient than having these novice trainees merely observe more experienced orthopods. It enables the residents to make errors and learn how to avoid them through deliberate practice; without putting any actual patients at risk.

The program was pioneered in 2013 by George Dyer, MD, Director Orthopedic Residency Program. Each year one orthopedic chief resident is selected to oversee the design, and procurement of faculty for the “Boot Camp”.  This year's resident-in-charge is Amanda McCoy, MD.