~ How Sint Maarten’s first hospital-based simulation suite is preparing healthcare workers for patient care at the new hospital ~
For Dr. Jumoke Vreden, the new training facility at SMMC is deeply personal. Called SIMsuite, it is the first hospital-based clinical simulation facility on the island, providing realistic training in preparation for the move to the new SMGH.
Dr. Vreden is an advanced life support instructor who returned to work at SMMC about two years ago. When she arrived, the hospital was preparing its most significant and exciting transition – to a hurricane-resilient, 104-bed facility with new specialties to reduce the need for costly off-island referrals, constructed through support from the Hospital Resiliency and Preparedness Project and private investors.
Based on her years of experience working abroad, Dr. Vreden knew that a more modern and resilient building is not sufficient on its own: It needs to prepare staff for what happens inside it. She says, “The moment a healthcare professional steps into a new operating room and reaches for equipment she has never practiced with, in a space she does not yet know by instinct – that is where preparation matters.” The SIMsuite exists for that moment.
Simulating a new hospital environment
Previous training relied on a classroom at a distance from hospital grounds, designed for lectures and for teaching larger groups, and rarely available. But the SIMsuite is located opposite the emergency unit at SMMC, bringing clinical simulation training steps away from the wards and accessible to hospital staff between shifts.
The suite occupies what was once the hospital’s COVID-19 patient containers – now transformed into a briefing room and an observation room for instructors to watch without being seen. Five double patient rooms are built to the exact layout and specifications of the future SMGH, allowing staff to rehearse emergency responses and test workflows.
An iSimulate system replicates the same monitors and defibrillators staff use every day, paired with a full-body manikin that breathes, speaks, produces a pulse linked to the scenario’s heart rate, and generates lung sounds. Instructors can adjust the patient’s condition, so the team responds in real time to complex scenarios. Training begins with the fundamentals of Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. The SIMsuite has also become a space for training and demonstration of new equipment.
Demand for training has exceeded expectations. The ophthalmology department has requested sessions to test acute care protocols. The pharmacy plans to use the space to practice safe medication preparation. The quality team is designing a clinical “escape room,” where nurses identify and correct hidden safety errors. The hygiene department wants to observe correct use of personal protective equipment in real-world scenarios.
What this training ultimately means for patients
The work of the SIMsuite extends beyond the hospital walls. Dr. Vreden and faculty have visited the SMGH construction site to simulate cardiac arrests in various locations, so when the hospital opens, its emergency response systems will already be tested and refined. Today, 12 faculty members spanning hospital specialties – emergency, anaesthesia, outpatient, urology, quality management, and the service desk – have been trained as clinical instructors. They are part of a broader transition readiness effort that has trained 774 SMMC staff, exceeding the original target of 600.
SMMC has already reduced overseas medical referrals by 88 percent, reflecting investments in infrastructure, clinical capacity, and staff development. The SIMsuite is part of how that progress is sustained. Patients won’t see the hours of practice that went into it beforehand, but they will benefit from it all. In a small island health-care system where every handover carries risk, what gets practiced inside this room matters.
“I really hope this training becomes something normal,” says Dr. Vreden. “Not something you have to try to fit into your schedule. Just: I have an hour free. Let me see if the SIMsuite has a lesson to offer.”
Over 770 hospital staffers have been trained to prepare for a smooth transition to the new SMGH facility.
