Practice simulation
Emergency Radiology Simulator
High-fidelity simulation of an emergency radiology shift
Format
Practice simulation
Audience
Radiology residents
Exam date
Set by each residency program
Availability
Available to residency programs only
Duration
4 hours
Price
$
50/Resident
Prepare yourself for the ER Sim
Get to know the expectations of the ER Sim
Please read the EXAM INFORMATION section to gain an understanding of what to expect and how to interact in the ER Sim.
Become familiar with the layout and tools within the ER Sim by trying the ER Sim DEMO (see link before the exam tips).
Become familiar with the layout and tools within the ER Sim by trying the ER Sim DEMO (see link before the exam tips).
ER Sim documents
There are two documents that you will use during the ER Sim, the WORKFLOW document and the HANDOVER document. Please take a look at the descriptions and samples for these two documents to become familiar with their use before your exam day.
On Exam day, please DOWNLOAD the WORKFLOW and HANDOVER documents that you will be completing during the exam. You can find these documents in the exam section at the bottom of this page, the exam section "01 Documents to download for ER Sim". Open the documents in WORD, allow edits, and type your work into the documents. Save your work as you go.
At the end of the ER Sim, you will need to e-mail your HANDOVER document to your Program Director. The WORKFLOW document is for your own use.
On Exam day, please DOWNLOAD the WORKFLOW and HANDOVER documents that you will be completing during the exam. You can find these documents in the exam section at the bottom of this page, the exam section "01 Documents to download for ER Sim". Open the documents in WORD, allow edits, and type your work into the documents. Save your work as you go.
At the end of the ER Sim, you will need to e-mail your HANDOVER document to your Program Director. The WORKFLOW document is for your own use.
ER Sim enrollment
The ER Sim is an active exam that is geared towards assessing the developing emergency radiology competencies in radiology residents.
If your radiology residency program is interested in the ER Sim, please contact us to schedule (link in ER Sim banner).
If your radiology residency program is interested in the ER Sim, please contact us to schedule (link in ER Sim banner).
Exam Information:
What to expect:
The ER Simulation will place you in a simulated high-fidelity Emergency Radiology environment where you will work independently through a 4-hour Shift. During your shift you will work on a simulated RIS/PACS to protocol exams, provide preliminary reports on imaging studies and address a variety of other issues that may typically occur within this setting.
Be sure to carefully read all of the instructions provided within the simulation.
Please take time before your exam to review 2 important documents that you will need to interact with during the simulation (these sample docs will open in a new window):
The documents you will use in the ER Sim are within the ER Sim documents section (Section 01 of the ER Sim). These documents are WORD documents for you to enter your work. Please download each of these documents to your computer prior to starting the actual ER Sim (Section 01 of the exam is not included in the timed portion of the exam). At the end of the simulation, please e-mail your HANDOVER document to your Program Director
How to report:
Please spend some time reviewing the sample WORKFLOW document. The WORKFLOW document is to help you organize all of the activities during your shift. The WORKFLOW document in the actual ER Sim starts with a 'handover' of cases that you need to track during your shift.
When reporting cases in the simulated RIS/PACS, be sure to enter your PRELIMINARY REPORT and your DIAGNOSIS in the provided text boxes. Your answers will be used to create a DIAGNOSTIC LOG at the end of the diagnostic portion of the ER Sim.
Your shift:
The diagnostic portion of your ER shift will be for 3 hours and 45 minutes. You will have an additional 15 minutes to complete your HANDOVER document. Don't forget to e-mail this document, along with your DIAGNOSTIC LOG PDF to your Program Director for scoring.
Your answers:
Before you start your HANDOVER doc, you will see a completed DIAGNOSTIC LOG. Please PRINT this log to PDF in portrait mode. Please e-mail your DIAGNOSTIC LOG (and your HANDOVER document) to your Program Director for scoring.
The ER Simulation will place you in a simulated high-fidelity Emergency Radiology environment where you will work independently through a 4-hour Shift. During your shift you will work on a simulated RIS/PACS to protocol exams, provide preliminary reports on imaging studies and address a variety of other issues that may typically occur within this setting.
Be sure to carefully read all of the instructions provided within the simulation.
Please take time before your exam to review 2 important documents that you will need to interact with during the simulation (these sample docs will open in a new window):
- WORKFLOW document (sample--not for use on the actual Sim)
- HANDOVER document (sample--not for use on the actual Sim)
The documents you will use in the ER Sim are within the ER Sim documents section (Section 01 of the ER Sim). These documents are WORD documents for you to enter your work. Please download each of these documents to your computer prior to starting the actual ER Sim (Section 01 of the exam is not included in the timed portion of the exam). At the end of the simulation, please e-mail your HANDOVER document to your Program Director
How to report:
Please spend some time reviewing the sample WORKFLOW document. The WORKFLOW document is to help you organize all of the activities during your shift. The WORKFLOW document in the actual ER Sim starts with a 'handover' of cases that you need to track during your shift.
When reporting cases in the simulated RIS/PACS, be sure to enter your PRELIMINARY REPORT and your DIAGNOSIS in the provided text boxes. Your answers will be used to create a DIAGNOSTIC LOG at the end of the diagnostic portion of the ER Sim.
Your shift:
The diagnostic portion of your ER shift will be for 3 hours and 45 minutes. You will have an additional 15 minutes to complete your HANDOVER document. Don't forget to e-mail this document, along with your DIAGNOSTIC LOG PDF to your Program Director for scoring.
Your answers:
Before you start your HANDOVER doc, you will see a completed DIAGNOSTIC LOG. Please PRINT this log to PDF in portrait mode. Please e-mail your DIAGNOSTIC LOG (and your HANDOVER document) to your Program Director for scoring.
WORKFLOW and
HANDOVER document instructions
Please read these instructions before your exam.
Click on the "WORKFLOW document sample" and the "HANDOVER document sample" links in the previous section to better familiarize yourself to the use of these documents during your exam.
Click on the "WORKFLOW document sample" and the "HANDOVER document sample" links in the previous section to better familiarize yourself to the use of these documents during your exam.
Use the WORKFLOW DOCUMENT to track all cases that you protocol and report throughout your shift.
The first 10 cases on the WORKFLOW DOCUMENT in the exam are cases that are being handed over to you from the radiologist on the prior shift. These cases have protocols, however await imaging. If any of these cases are not imaged on your shift, you will need to include them on the exam HANDOVER DOCUMENT that you will complete at the end of the Simulation (cases you are handing over to the next shift).
HANDOVER DOCUMENT: At the end of your shift, you will be responsible for handing over all cases that have a protocol but do not have a preliminary report (including Cases 1-10 on the exam Handover document, if a preliminary report is not completed during your shift). This may also include cases that you protocol during the simulation however don’t appear on the Main Worklist for reporting before the end of your shift. There is a separate HANDOVER DOCUMENT that will help you with this task.
Once the Simulation ends (after 3 hours, 45 minutes), you will be given 15 minutes to complete the HANDOVER DOCUMENT. Use your completed WORKFLOW DOCUMENT to help you complete the HANDOVER document (you will not have access to the simulation’s Main Worklist after the simulation ends). The WORKFLOW DOCUMENT is for your personal use and will not be scored, however your use of this form will help you prepare your HANDOVER DOCUMENT that is part of your scored assessment.
The Emergency Radiology Simulator
Tips
Prepare for your ER Sim
- Become familiar with the expectations of the ER Sim by reading all of the exam instructions and reviewing the sample documents.
- Download the WORKFLOW and HANDOVER documents in the next section before you start the Sim.
- Try the ER Sim DEMO to become familiar with the DICOM viewer and the simulated RIS.
Be patient
- The ER Sim will sometimes pause when you click on a button to advance to the next stage. Be patient, the sim will eventually continue after a brief pause. Please don't click more than once or hit the refresh button when this occurs.
- If your broadband connection is poor or is disrupted during the sim, you may need to sign back in. If so, please select to "restart" the sim where you left off. It is always best to use a cord to connect to the Internet (turn WiFi off if you are corded).
Pace yourself
The countdown timer will be in the upper right hand corner. The timer will start immediately once you click on the ER Sim link in the next section. You have 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete this part of the exam. The exam will automatically end when the countdown timer reaches 0.
Other technical tips
- Use the CHROME browser for best results
- In the CHROME browser, Press "F11" to expand the ER Sim to 'Full Screen'. Press "F11" again to exit 'Full Screen'
- Don't use any symbols or bullet markers in any of your answers (don't use: + - + 1 * # % $, etc.). The database will try to convert your answers into an equation (!) if you use any of these symbols.
- If you experience any catastrophic technical issues, please contact your Program Director ASAP. In these situations, you may need to restart the entire ER Sim from the beginning (including your answers).
- To print out your Diagnostic Log, change your printer settings to "PDF" in Portrait mode within the printer dialog popup.
Passwords
- The actual ER Sim exam is password protected. You will receive the password for your exam prior to your scheduled exam. Please explore the first section of the exam before your ER Sim is scheduled to begin (Section 01). You will need to be familiar with the documents in Section 01 (below) prior to the start of your exam.
- The take-up exam is password protected. Your program director will receive the password for this section and will share the answers with you on your scheduled exam take-up.
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