Each February, second-year medical students across Minnesota prepare to take a pivotal step in their education—leaving the classroom behind and entering the clinic for their first clerkships. This year, a new initiative called Bridge Week helped ease that transition. Bridge Week marked a new phase in the clinical training curriculum, preparing students with essential technical and communication skills before they enter patient care environments. M Simulation provided two immersive, simulation-based sessions for all second-year medical students—nearly 250 in total—across three campuses: Duluth, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities.
Two sessions, one goal: Better prepared clinicians
M Simulation’s contributions to Bridge Week included two core simulation education projects: Experiencing Patient Death, a human-based simulation focused on emotional support and communication skills, and a hands-on technical simulation covering sterile gowning, gloving, and peripheral IV insertion.
“Each session was intentionally designed to build on the scaffolded communication and clinical skills that students have been developing throughout their first 18 months in medical school,” said Lou Clark, PhD, MFA, executive director of M Simulation and co-course director, Clinical Skills.
In Experiencing Patient Death, students were guided through a realistic clinical scenario involving a patient coding and ultimately dying, shown via a video the M Simulation team produced, directed, and acted in. After viewing the video that depicted the code team’s unsuccessful resuscitation efforts for this patient, a pair of students entered a room with two simulated participants (SPs): one portraying a medical resident who was part of the care team, and one portraying the spouse of the patient depicted as dying in the video.
The “resident” broke the news to the spouse utilizing the SPIKES (Set-up, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Emotion, and Strategize or Summarize) model, a six-step protocol which the students had learned and practiced in an earlier Clinical Skills Course session–Communicating Serious News. When the “resident” was paged out of the room, students were left to support the grieving spouse—a scenario designed to simulate real-life unpredictability and teach them to shift the focus of care from the patient to those left behind.
“The only instruction we gave students was: ‘Provide emotional support,’” said Clark. “And they rose to the challenge. Communication skills are among the hardest to teach and maintain. They require continual practice. Simulation gives learners a space to build those skills in a meaningful way.”
The second session focused on technical proficiencies needed for the surgery clerkship: procedures like gowning, gloving, and IV insertion. Student evaluations highlighted the value of hands-on practice and the opportunity to gain confidence with equipment and protocol.
Whether preparing students to deliver serious news, conduct sensitive exams, or scrub in for surgery, M Simulation ensures every learner is ready to step into clinical practice with skill, empathy, and confidence.
From Duluth to St. Cloud to the Twin Cities: A statewide effort
The success of Bridge Week was a testament to the collaborative power of M Simulation’s entire team. Over one week, M Simulation implemented simulations in Duluth, St. Cloud, and the Twin Cities—all while continuing to support other programs across the state.
“It took every single member of the M Simulation team to make this possible,” said Clark. “We were literally passing each other on I-35—some of us driving equipment and SPs to Duluth while others were heading to St. Cloud or back to the Twin Cities.”
In addition to the Bridge Week sessions, M Simulation also implemented simulations for dental hygiene, nursing, and pharmacy students that same week—serving over 500 learners across five disciplines. The logistical planning began three months in advance, involving intricate coordination of supplies, schedules, and personnel.
E.B. Floersch, assistant director for M Simulation, and John Chaika, senior simulation specialist, played pivotal roles in transporting supplies and teaching technical sessions at each site. Human Simulation Manager Joe Miller co-led logistics and operations across all locations. Their work, along with support from SP educators and regional staff, was essential to the team’s success.
Key collaborators included faculty and staff from Duluth including Steph Appleby, Samantha Quaid, and Marianne Morton in addition to faculty member Amy Greminger; Regional Campus Dean for Saint Cloud Jill Amsberry, and clinical skills course directors across campuses: Drs. Matt Traxler, Ife Ojo, James Nixon, Chris Thompson, Ray Christensen in addition to Clark.
“M Simulation has been an exceptional partner in advancing our regional campus initiatives. Their collaborative approach and deep expertise have been essential in shaping the design of our new simulation space in Saint Cloud. We were also thrilled to welcome them in person for BRIDGE week, where they led impactful sessions on delivering bad news, gowning and gloving, and IV insertion—critical skills for students as they enter their clinical training. Their involvement has allowed our learners to receive high-quality, hands-on experiences grounded in best practices in medical education," said Amsberry.
“M Simulation has built a strong, collaborative relationship with our regional campuses in Duluth and St. Cloud, working closely to support their unique educational needs. This complex coordination involves close communication, shared expertise, and innovative problem-solving, ensuring that learners across all campuses benefit from consistent, high-quality training. The collaboration between M Simulation and the campuses of the Medical School truly supports the idea that we are one school, three campuses,” added Jessamina Blum, PhD, MEd, assistant dean of foundations curriculum.
Meeting each campus where they are
For the M Simulation team, regional collaboration isn’t just about logistics—it’s about respect and understanding.
“We recognize that each campus has its own culture, resources, and needs,” said Clark. “Our job is to partner with local teams in the most collaborative and respectful way possible to bring consistent, high-quality learning experiences to every student.”
This effort goes beyond medicine. M Simulation also supports occupational therapy simulations in Rochester, pharmacy simulation education in Duluth and the Twin Cities, and veterinary simulations for students on the St. Paul campus. Their work often blends in-person, online, and hybrid approaches—tailored to the structure of each program.
As the M Simulation team looks ahead, its regional support continues to grow. This fall, the team will add first-year medical student simulations in St. Cloud to align with the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses, further advancing their mission to provide equitable learning opportunities statewide.
“The work we do with simulation is ultimately about people,” said Clark. “It’s about honoring SPs as representatives of patient voices and collaborating with other educators in service of creating effective and transformational learning experiences for students—wherever they are.”
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