Wise Construction completes two advanced medical training facilities

Wise Construction has completed two major projects involving renovation and construction of advanced-level laboratories for training of medical personnel in the Boston area. The projects include the Surgical Skills Training Laboratory at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI), in Boston, and the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS), in Charlestown. Both were completed in January. Mass. Eye and Ear's new Surgical Skills Training Laboratory advances instruction capabilities in otolaryngology, including skull-base surgery, head and neck surgery, laser surgery, otology and neurotology, facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, sinus surgery, laryngology, and pediatric otolaryngology. The lab is designed to enable instruction using anatomic and cadaveric samples providing a significant improvement in hands-on training for medical residents. The laboratory's proctor station is connected to 12 individual teaching workstations with video screens and communications capabilities. Each is equipped with surgical microscopes, drills, and DVD training videos. Teleconferencing capabilities enable live broadcasts to conference rooms within the hospital and to physicians in locations around the world. The architect for the Mass. Eye and Ear's new Surgical Skills Training Laboratory project was Eckert Wordell. The Center for Medical Simulation provides training for healthcare providers in crisis situations. By simulating different types of emergency situations, care providers learn how to deal with adverse conditions while continuing to deliver patient care. The training focuses on the clinical and behavioral aspects of performance, emphasizing crisis management and error prevention. The newly renovated space includes a CT Scan, a fully equipped operating room and an intensive care unit. Each is used to simulate disaster situations in which the clinician is placed to "practice" care delivery. The operating rooms and ICU are equipped with medical gasses, including oxygen, nitrogen, compressed gas and vacuum. The center, which was founded in 1993, is one of the world's first healthcare simulation centers. It is located in Charlestown's Navy Yard. The architect for the Center for Medical Simulation project was Steffian Bradley.