GORDON CENTER

The seed foremergency trainingwas planted in 1982.At the request of Dean Bernard Fogel, Dr. Gordoninstituted medical student coursesin Basic and AdvancedCardiac Life Support(ACLS), training thatcontinues to thisday. The AmericanHeart Associationpublished the firstACLS guidelinesonly a few yearsearlier, in the mid-1970s.The City of MiamiFire Department, thenation’s first to havea paramedic program,approached Dr. Gordonabout training itspersonnel at theUniversity.The MTSL presented its first AdvancedLife Support Competition in 1992, andwithin five years, there was a waiting listof paramedic crews wanting to take part.Realistic scenarios have involved a variety of outsideagencies, including the FBI, Drug EnforcementAgency, Coast Guard, Urban Search and Rescue,and CIA. Interest in the event grew due, in greatpart, to the efforts of Stephanie Browne, nursecoordinator of EMS training, who died of cancerat the age of 43. The event was renamed in 1997to honor her memory. In the ensuing years, teamsfrom as far as North Florida have tested their skillsin patient assessment, critical thinking, and decisionmaking. In 2007, the center established the “EMSFutures Scholarship,” awarded to a worthy studentselected by the first-place team to be used towardthe expenses of EMT or paramedic school.The effectivenessof the train-thetrainermethodmade it possiblefor curriculadeveloped by thecenter’s faculty tobe implemented allover the U.S. andinternationally.As the only 8-hour, hands-onstroke course for healthcareprofessionals, AdvancedStroke Life Support ® is usedby hospitals, EMS agencies,and educationalinstitutions in25 states. Itis taughtin HongKong andGreatBritain,and theRed Crossin Mexicotrains all ofthat country’sparamedicsin ASLS ® .Whether locally or at more distant locations in Florida,off-site training became more feasible with the use of acustomized Mobile Simulation Unit.The air-conditioned, 20-foot trailer is fully outfitted with the sameequipment as the center’s permanent simulation training areas.The sim lab-on-wheels facilitates skills training at hospitals, wherepersonnel can be scheduled by appointment with minimal time awayfrom clinical service.Dr. Gordon established a rapport with his constituenciesthat continues yearly with a meeting of the EmergencyMedical Skills Training Advisory Board.Leaders in emergency medicine, fire rescue, emergency response,nursing, law enforcement, military, public health, and education offervaluable insight on curricula, scheduling, and long-term planning towhat is now known as the Division of Prehospital and EmergencyHealthcare. The division is under the direction of emergency medicinephysician Ivette Motola, M.D., M.P.H.Among Dr. Gordon’s proudest accomplishments is the long-term collaborationwith the U.S. military and the Army Trauma Training Center (ATTC).Leading the effort was Carlos Gimenez, who went onto become fire chief and is now mayor of Miami-DadeCounty. In response, Dr. Gordon, in 1985, embarked on aprogram that included teaching paramedics to recognizesymptoms of heart attack, administer and interpret anBeginning only one month after the attacks of September 11th, forward surgical teams have been prepared fordeployment to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2-3 week rotations at the UM/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. In additionto clinical sessions at Ryder Trauma Center, the physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and medics also undergoelectrocardiogram, and initiate treatment during transport.hands-on training at the GordonLooking for a way to extend the impactTraining soon extended well beyond local departmentsCenter, including realisticand has since included the development of other curriculaof prehospital training beyond Miami,mass casualty simulations. Thein airway management, stroke, and disaster response. To Dr. Gordon facilitated the teaching ofGordon Center is evaluating forprovide realistic simulation scenarios, Dr. Gordon obtained the center’s heart attack curriculum tothe Army the effectiveness of itsa real rescue vehicle and a car for extrication practice. Along paramedic providers across Florida.mobile applications for patientwith a mock emergency department and decontaminationshower, they were accommodated by the construction of newtraining space in theMTSL basement thatestablished the onlycenter in the countryat the time dedicatedto life support andcritical care training.By training instructors from state-funded paramedictraining programs to teach the course and providingthem the curricular materials, thousands moreresponders were better prepared to treat patientswith acute coronary syndromes. The model ofcollaborating with state colleges and vocationalinstitutions also proved effective for AdvancedStroke Life Support ® (ASLS ® ), as well as EmergencyResponse to Terrorism (ERT). Among the locales forERT training was Tallahassee Community College(pictured above).assessment in the field. In amoving tribute on Veterans’ Day2010, the center paid homage toStaff Sergeant Ronald J. Spino,a member of the 274th ForwardSurgical Team who died inAfghanistan while serving histhird tour treating woundedsoldiers. The large training roomused by the ATTC was dedicatedin his memory.8 The Gordon CenTer for researCh in MediCal eduCaTion Visionary • Innovator • Educator 9