The Cook County Simulation Training Center, established in 2005, offers simulation-based medical education for all medical professionals within Cook County Health and serves 10,000-plus students each year. Simulation modalities include procedural skills, task trainers, high-fidelity mannequins and standardized patients. Notable programs include “Sim Wars”, a competitive, team-based simulation event emphasizing medical knowledge, procedural skills, teamwork and team spirit, and “Simtastic”, an annual collaboration where emergency medicine residents from Chicago-area institutions participate in unbiased simulation assessments led by external faculty. These innovative events foster interprofessional collaboration, enhance clinical competency and promote fair-minded evaluation among emergency medicine trainees.
