Simulation
Last updated: 2026-03-29
Overview
The Simulation module allows instructors to create a safe, isolated practice environment (a "clinical sandbox") for students. By selecting an existing template patient, the system generates an exact clinical copy for a specific student to practice on, without altering the real patient's records or triggering actual notifications and bills.
When Do I Use This?
- When you need to provide students with realistic patient case studies for clinical practice.
- When running practical exams where every student needs an identical baseline patient to diagnose and treat.
- When training new staff on how to use the electronic health record system without risking real patient data.
How To Use
Creating a Student Simulation
To assign a practice case to a student:
- Navigate to the Simulation or Education section of your main menu.
- Select the Template Patient you want to duplicate.
- Enter the student's ID or Learner ID into the provided field.
- Click Clone Patient or Create Sandbox.
- The system will generate a completely new, simulated patient record dedicated to that student.
Note on Patient Identification: You can easily identify simulated patients in the system. Their names will always begin with [SIM], and the student's ID will be appended to the patient's surname (e.g., "[SIM] John Doe (Student123)").
Safety and Privacy Safeguards
Because this module creates a copy of a patient, the system automatically applies several safeguards to prevent accidents:
| Safeguard | What the System Does |
|---|---|
| Contact Information | The patient's phone number is replaced with "000" and the email is replaced with a fake, randomized address. This ensures the real patient never receives automated appointment reminders or emails from student practice. |
| Billing Disabled | All cloned treatments are automatically marked to Skip Billing. Students can practice charting treatments without accidentally generating real financial invoices. |
| Patient Type | The cloned patient's category is strictly locked to "SIM" (Simulation), ensuring they do not appear in regular hospital reporting or real clinical queues. |
What Clinical Data is Copied?
The cloning process creates a comprehensive medical and dental history. The following records are copied over to the student's sandbox:
| Record Type | Details Included |
|---|---|
| Demographics | Date of Birth, Gender, Nationality, Blood Group, and Medical Alerts. |
| Odontogram (Teeth) | The entire dental chart, including missing teeth and current tooth conditions. |
| Treatment History | Past dental treatments, planned procedures, specific tooth surfaces, and associated diagnoses. |
| Periodontal Charts | Full perio history including plaque indexes, bleeding indexes, BPE scores, pocket depths, and mobility. |
| Vital Signs | Historical logs of Weight, Height, BMI, Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate, and Oxygen levels. |
| Diagnoses | A complete list of the patient's medical conditions, diseases, onset dates, and severities. |
| Medications | Active and past prescriptions, including the drug name, dosage, frequency, route, and refill amounts. |
Tip: Create a few "Master Template" patients with rich medical histories (e.g., "Template - Severe Periodontitis" or "Template - Pediatric Caries"). Keep these templates updated so you can quickly clone them for different student cohorts each semester.