JACKSONVILLE, FLA -- Insidean auditorium atUF &Shands Jacksonville, doctors in their residency are taking their skills to the stage. It's a competition known as SimWars.
"They are put on the spot to be able to know what to do, to know how to handle certain scenarios and that is challenging," said one of the organizers, Dr. Rich Westenbargar in Emergency Medicine. Instead of live patients, the residents are using simulators. Although, the simulators are extremely life-like, with a pulse, blinking and a voice.
Each team had 8 minutes to assess the problem, all the while being watched by a panel of judges and peers.
"I think it is nerve-wracking to have the audience, but at the same time it is even scarier when you have an actual sick patient that you are dealing with," told Dr. Nitin Ubhayakar before his team competed.
To make it harder, the residents were all matched with other doctors they didn't know, so they were also judged on communication skills.
"I knew there was going to be some type of curve ball, I wasn't exactly sure what they were going to do," told Dr. Eddie Lambert.
The curveball this time was two senior doctors barging in pretending to be irate family members. The winners of the SimWars don't get a trophy or money, just bragging rights until the next time.
