Clin Sim inspires careers in health care at Worlds of Work 

Simulation works. 

It’s a message UAB Clinical Simulation imparted to more than a thousand eighth and ninth-grade students from 22 school systems across six Alabama counties (Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Walker) at October’s Worlds of Work (WOW) recruitment expo. 

WOW, held Oct. 16-17 at the Birmingham CrossPlex, aims to expose students to diverse career opportunities by connecting them with more than 100 employers from such sectors as health care, manufacturing, technology, construction and transportation/logistics. 

Each sector/industry has its own exhibition space—or “world”—in which students (grouped together by school) spend 25 minutes interacting with exhibitors. UAB Medicine, which served as an event sponsor, hosted a table in the health care world, featuring members from UAB Clinical Simulation, human resources and the sterile supply and respiratory departments. 

Naturally, the Clinical Simulation team offered young visitors the chance to participate in a simulation to test their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills. Using Brayden CPR Manikins, the simulation found participants competing in teams of two to see who could deliver the highest number of effective chest compressions in two minutes.  

Students were briefed, coached and encouraged by members of the Clin Sim team, along with some special “friends of simulation”—clinical development specialists Kelly Wertz, R.N., and Paige Gray, R.N., as well as patient safety coordinator Ashlee Hobbs—who volunteered to assist. 

“I was excited to partner with another team at UAB and be immersed in the world of simulation,” Hobbs said. “This experience was truly wonderful. We got to see hundreds of students get excited about the health-care field. It was so fun teaching the students how to perform effective CPR and then have them be truly engaged in wanting to understand how to improve.” 

“The kids were very engaged,” said Markie Clement Harris, training coordinator with Clinical Simulation. “They had a lot of fun, while learning important skills that could help save a life and perhaps lead to a career in health care.” 

As noted in Bham Now, “WOW allows you to get in front of students at a critical time when they’re beginning to plan for their futures. It’s hard for students to know what they want to do with their lives in the eighth grade, but you can help them connect the dots and see the steps they need to take to get the career they want. It’s never too early to start planning.” 

To learn more about UAB Clinical Simulation, visit uabsimulation.org. 

UAB Medicine’s Clinical Simulation program offers opportunities for individuals and teams across UAB Medicine and beyond to practice before they deliver care. We encourage all who provide and support patient care to “SimFirst.” Together, we can put our patients’ safety first.