In rural communities, patients often struggle to access timely, high-quality health care — and the clinicians who serve them face their own barriers to continuing medical education and training.
To help close this gap, USF Health faculty and simulation experts recently brought immersive, hands-on training directly to practicing health providers in two underserved areas: Apalachicola, Florida, and Douglas, Georgia. The two sites were identified working collaboratively through the American Hospital Association.
At each location, faculty and training experts with the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) delivered scenario-based sessions tailored to local needs, helping participants sharpen life-saving skills through realistic simulations.
In Apalachicola, CAMLS partnered with the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services (FLCEMS) to offer training on improving maternal and neonatal outcomes focusing not just on high-risk obstetric emergencies, but also normal deliveries. The USF-led team highlighted the importance of seamless coordination between emergency responders, nursing teams and obstetric providers to reduce complications and improve safety during more complex obstetric transfers and deliveries.
In Douglass, CAMLS partnered with faculty from the Department of Emergency Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine to conduct simulation-based airway management training for emergency medical services providers at Coffee Regional Medical Center, reinforcing both basic and advanced airway techniques.
“We don’t get a lot of off time, so it would really be hard for us to travel anywhere and take this class,” said Isaac Davis, a paramedic at Coffee Regional Medical Center. “It was very nice to have it so close to home in our own station. Doing the training made me more confident as a medic.”
These trainings were conducted as part of CAMLS Without Walls, an initiative that extends the center’s reach and impact. CAMLS is one of the world’s largest free-standing simulation facilities exclusively dedicated to training health care professionals.
Bringing simulation directly to providers — known as in situ training — is especially vital for rural areas where hospitals and EMS agencies often face resource constraints, limited staffing and geographic isolation. For many providers, traveling long distances to attend centralized training isn’t feasible, especially when balancing full-time clinical responsibilities.
Both training events marked a significant milestone for the CAMLS Without Walls program. Thanks to generous donor support, for the first time CAMLS was able to deliver on-site simulation training at no cost to the health care organizations involved.
“We’re proud to take this kind of high-impact training on the road,” said Dr. Haru Okuda, executive director of CAMLS and associate vice president of interprofessional education and practice for USF Health. “By meeting professionals where they are, we’re helping them strengthen their skills and ultimately improve patient care in their own communities.”
The Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, who collaborated with CAMLS for the Apalachicola site visit, is a policy and workforce institute housed at USF and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Florida Department of Health. The center works in collaboration with local and state agencies, community partners and policymakers to ensure Florida’s EMS systems are equipped to meet the evolving needs of the population.
“Rural communities — and the EMS and hospital teams that serve them — greatly benefit from this kind of high-quality training,” said Dr. Bruce Moeller, executive director of the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services. “FLCEMS is proud to support CAMLS Without Walls to expand access to continuing education that strengthens care statewide.”
To learn more about CAMLS Without Walls and how to bring customized training to your organization, click here.
