Sept. 10, 2026
A free online resource is available to help hospitals strengthen emergency department and trauma pediatric readiness. This pediatric tool offers simulation-based exercises designed to help teams build confidence and competence in the skills needed to provide stabilizing care for children.
The vision behind the simulation tool
A team at Yale University developed this tool with pediatric emergency and trauma simulation exercises with the goal of democratizing pediatric simulation education. Team members recognized a significant gap in pediatric training: Many healthcare professionals who care for children have limited access to simulation-based learning opportunities.
"Most pediatric education and training, including simulation teams and equipment, tends to be centered at children's hospitals and academic health centers," says A. Kade Goepferd, M.D., a pediatrician at Children's Minnesota and host of the Talking Pediatrics podcast, which featured members of the team that created the simulation resource. "But the first place many pediatric patients present, especially for emergency care, is at community hospitals."
The concept was inspired in part by team member Marc Auerbach, M.D., FAAP, M.Sc., a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Auerbach compared the experience to using a meal preparation kit, which can help someone feel like a capable chef despite limited culinary training.
"So, in order to try to follow that model, we wanted to allow individuals working in community emergency departments a really off-the-shelf opportunity that would be delivered to them to provide emergency medicine, and specifically pediatric emergency medicine simulation-based training within their departments," Dr. Auerbach says.
The simulation resource initially consisted of a physical box of educational materials mailed to participating sites. It has since evolved into a free online platform. The site includes 12 simulation exercises designed for emergency, trauma and prehospital professionals.
Supporting pediatric readiness requirements
This simulation resource arrives at a time when pediatric readiness is becoming an increasingly important focus for trauma centers. As previously announced, the Minnesota Statewide Trauma System — Minnesota Department of Health will require Level 3 and 4 trauma centers to demonstrate pediatric readiness by January 2027.
In practical terms, this includes completing the pediatric readiness assessment available through the National Pediatric Readiness Project, achieving a target score of 93 or higher, and developing a plan to address identified gaps. Studies show better outcomes for pediatric patients when a center scores 93 or higher, notes Denise B. Klinkner, M.D., M.Ed., a pediatric surgeon at Mayo Clinic and director of Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Trauma Center.
The simulation exercises in this tool provide trauma centers with a practical way to conduct team-based educational sessions and prepare for a range of pediatric medical and trauma scenarios. While some scenarios involve relatively rare emergencies, they emphasize core assessment and stabilization skills that are essential when caring for children in community settings, Dr. Klinkner explains.
Dr. Klinkner recommends that each trauma center's designated pediatric champion, as described by Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC), facilitate the simulation exercises.
"The goal for pediatric trauma use of the pediatric simulation tool in our region is to improve peds readiness and provide resources for each trauma center's pediatric champion to help prepare all of our trauma teams," Dr. Klinkner says. "This could be anyone staffing an emergency department who'd take care of children."
Although some view pediatric patients as candidates for transfer to higher levels of care, Dr. Klinkner emphasizes the critical role community hospitals play in their initial treatment. She notes that Mayo Clinic Trauma Center received 655 pediatric transfers between 2023 and 2025, demonstrating that a substantial portion of pediatric trauma care begins in community settings.
According to Dr. Klinkner, simulation training offers clinicians an opportunity to practice and maintain pediatric care skills in a low-stakes environment before encountering a high-acuity emergency or traumatic injury.
"Using the simulation exercises in this tool helps improve outcomes when a child presents requiring care," she says.
Recommendations for implementation
Some states have already incorporated simulation training into trauma center requirements. For example, Texas requires all trauma centers to complete two simulation exercises from the online tool annually.
Dr. Klinkner recommends a similar approach, encouraging trauma centers to begin with one or two simulation exercises each year.