What does Lady Gaga have to do with saving lives? Ask a SAY graduate

On May 11, more than 100 people attended the Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation’s Simulation Academy at Yale (SAY) graduation and career fair to congratulate students who completed the after-school program.

The 10-session SAY focused on science, technology, engineering and math education and exposed students from New Haven’s Hill Regional Career High School and Metropolitan Business Academy to healthcare careers.

During 10 SAY sessions, students learned science in the classroom, then translated what they learned into procedures they practiced in the simulation lab. For one session, students learned how the lungs work, then performed endotracheal intubation and inserted chest tubes in the simulation lab. For another, they learned how the heart pumps blood; in the sim lab, they inserted IVs and performed CPR to music by Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and the Baby Shark song.

SAY students also created scenarios based on what they learned then acted them out. One scenario included an incident on a ski slope with students dressed in full gear helping a critically injured “patient.” Another scenario included a “patient” in a car accident on the way to the hospital while delivering a baby.

“The students were very excited, and their creativity reached far beyond our expectations,” said program co-director Tatiana Moylan, MD, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Outreach, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation.

“It was great to see how their imaginations work and how they made the connection to their year-long learning,” added Leigh Evans, MD, associate professor of Emergency Medicine and executive director, Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation.

The SAY program is funded through an R-25 Science Education Partnership Award and partnership with Yale Pathways to Science. The Yale Center for Healthcare Simulation plans to expand the program to New Haven’s Wilbur Cross and James Hillhouse high schools.