December 15, 2008 Center awarded Laerdal Center of Educational Excellence Designation
PJC President Dr. Ed Meadows presents the Leardal Center of Educational Excellence Award to Mary Smart.At the December meeting of the Laerdal Centers of Excellence Program the Mary Ekdahl Smart Center for Patient Simulation Training Research at Pensacola Junior College was awarded the Center of Educational Excellence designation. The three year award was based on a formal review by a board of senior Laerdal managers and independent advisors and a site visit. PJC becomes only the second community college in North America to receive this distinction.
The Center of Educational Excellence designation is awarded to a maximum of eighteen centers that “have consistently demonstrated excellence in educational philosophy and programs for the purpose of saving lives” through patient safety and improved medical outcomes. Thirteen centers now have achieved this designation. Members include such leaders as The Gordon Center for Research in Medical Education at the University of Miami Medical School, the Oregon Health and Science University Simulation & Clinical Learning Center, the Scott & White Texas A&M Health Science Center, and the WISER Institute for Simulation Education & Research at the University of Pittsburgh.
At the December meeting, hosted by the Gordon Center, representatives of the Centers were challenged by David LaComb, Laerdal Senior Manager for Educational Services, to leverage their expertise to assist other educational institutions and hospital systems in their use of patient simulation for the purpose of “helping save lives.” The Centers will lead in the development of seven regional Simulation User Network conferences supported annually by Laerdal. They also will provide staff to present at the conferences. At the April meeting of the Centers in Arlington, Texas, planning for the conferences will continue and discussions will begin on developing a collaborative research agenda on simulation education.
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SimCenter@pjc.edu |
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has accredited Pensacola Junior College to award the associate's degree. |
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