Immersive Learning Experience: Meet SimMan 3G Plus and Harvey

At BUCOM, we are committed to creating a robust, high-quality learning environment for our future DOs. Through innovative programs like our Standardized Patient and Simulation initiatives, we are equipping students with the skills and confidence they need to excel in their careers.

We are excited to introduce two advanced simulation tools that will elevate our students learning experience: SimMan 3G Plus and Harvey. These cutting-edge technologies bring immersive, hands-on education to life, helping students develop critical skills in a realistic and safe environment.

SimMan 3G Plus:

SimMan 3G Plus is a simulator designed to challenge students with lifelike scenarios. From trauma response to advanced cardiac cases, SimMan helps learners to refine a wide range of clinical skills in a controlled setting.

Key Features:

• Realistic interactions: SimMan can sweat, cry, bleed, tremor, and even blink, adding authenticity to simulations.
• Functional capabilities: Students can use a blood pressure cuff, administer injections, and perform defibrillation on SimMan.
• Communication enhancement: Instructors can talk through SimMan’s built-in microphone.

Harvey: 

Harvey helps students understand the use and placement of their stethoscope to hear and learn from heart and lung sounds (auscultation). With over 50 cardiac cases programmed into its system, Harvey offers students a number of opportunities for learning and assessment.

Key Features:

• Authentic sounds: Harvey uses recordings from real patients to simulate conditions.
• Versatile learning: Students can practice individually or in groups, enhancing both knowledge and teamwork.
• Diagnostic training: Harvey helps students be able to identify specific sounds, form diagnoses, and develop treatment plans.
• Integration: Harvey complements patient-actor scenarios, bridging the gap between live interaction and technical skill development.

Standardized Patients:

In addition to SimMan and Harvey, our program partners with the Memphis community to engage Standardized Patients (SPs), which are trained actors who bring medical scenarios to life. These patient actors help students practice soft skills, including patient communication and bedside manner, in a realistic setting.

Why Become a Patient Actor? Patient actors follow detailed scripts to simulate medical cases, allowing students to refine their conversational and diagnostic skills. Interested in joining our SP program? Visit the BMHCC Careers Page to apply.

SimMan and Harvey are just two of the many ways BUCOM is preparing future physicians to be competent, compassionate, and collaborative leaders in health care. These technologies provide hands-on engagement across every stage of learning, combining technical skill-building with human interaction.

“Sim brings people together,” says Curtis Shonoski, Director of Medical Education for Standardized Patients and Simulation. “Through creating a realistic and safe training environment, students will be ready to make a tangible difference in their communities.”

Whether it’s managing a trauma case with SimMan or diagnosing a complex cardiac condition with Harvey, our students are gaining the tools and confidence they need to thrive in their careers and beyond.