EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT LABORATORY
The ELAB – CTLI’s clinical simulation education program:
Trains clinicians to competently and confidently provide patient care through the use of lifelike manikins and other training tools to mimic different clinical scenarios. ELAB’s facilities at JFK Medical Center and UL’s Capitol Hill campus allow learners to practice both basic procedural skills (IV insertion, catheterization, etc.) as well as complex decision-making, communication, and teamwork. Tailored scenarios will train care providers in evidence-based best practices and allow them to rehearse new standards of care, elevating their practice based on relevant research findings and new developments in clinical practice.
LIBERIA'S FIRST HIGH-FIDELITY SIMULATION SUITE
High-Fidelity Training
In addition to standard skills trainers, the ELAB will use high-fidelity manikins. These are lifelike simulators that mimic a wide range of physiological functions, such as breathing, bleeding, body sounds, speech, and vital signs. The manikins are responsive to treatment, including ultrasound, defibrillation, and over 145 pharmaceutical drugs. Complex scenarios using these manikins allow trainees to practice their care techniques. communication and decision-making, including in an emergency setting.
Partnering to Succeed
As the first-of-its-kind facility in Liberia, the ELAB draws on the experience of partner centers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the U.S. and Kijabe Hospital in Kenya. CTLI has harnessed their expertise to inform all aspects of the ELAB, including space configuration, staffing, equipment procurement and operational and pedagogical training. This collaborative strategy ensures that the ELAB’s programs are in line with global standards, maximizing impact for learners and patients in Liberia.
Life-Long Learning
The ELAB will train all cadres of clinical health care workers: doctors, nurses, midwives, physician assistants, pharmacists and others who contribute to patient care. Learners will not only practice cadre-specific skills, but also participate in inter-professional simulation scenarios, mimicking the reality of team composition in the hospital or clinic. Programs will target health care workers at all phases of their training and professional careers. Simulation will be incorporated into pre-service educational curricula, as well as offered as part of continuing professional development programs.
The ULCHS CTLI is a national public-private-academic hub for research utilization education, training, and collaboration throughout Liberia’s health sector. CTLI provides a long-term institutional home for sustaining programs developed through BRIDGE-U: Applying Research for a Healthy Liberia (BRIDGE-U Liberia) and other funded projects. CTLI also provides a place for faculty, students, policymakers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and others to gather for project activities and trainings as well as networking and collaboration.
