Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Our regular business hours are 8:00am–5:00pm on Monday–Friday, but activities beyond regular business hours are available upon request. You can contact us to make arrangements.

Plan your route with the help of this detailed campus guide on How To Get Here. We look forward to seeing you!

iCELS runs healthcare simulations at client locations throughout New England and beyond, as well as our main location in Worcester, to help improve healthcare outcomes. The Worcester facility, which is equipped to run at least 20 sessions concurrently, was launched in 2012 with the opening of the Albert Sherman Center. However UMass Chan Medical School has been running simulation activities since 1982, making it one of the longest-running simulation programs in the country - take a short trip down the history of Standardized Patient in Healthcare Simulations and learn about its significance. Thereafter, visit our Course Catalog, which provides a list of our most popular simulation sessions - this is a great place to start as you will find relevant courses, some of which can be customized to your group's learning needs.

Since the beginning of simulation activities in our medical school in 1982, we have been a keen collaborator on customized projects with medical schools and organizations in the region. 

After submitting an inquiry, you will hear back from us in a week. From there, we will work with you and take into considerations the availability of space, equipment, as well as participants' schedules, to determine a best date and set your customized session up for success.

iCELS welcomes reservations for professional space usage throughout the year and are committed to equitable access to its facilities by programs throughout the academic medical center as well as our colleagues throughout the region. External clients not affiliated with the medical school or the medical center, are also welcomed to enquire on the rental of iCELS location for film and photo shoots. 

iCELS runs a number of sessions and activities in its 24,000 sq ft space spanning 2 levels at UMass Chan Medical School campus Albert Sherman Center. Some periods are busier than others. We value your interest in using iCELS location, and would like to make the best arrangement for your activities. A planning session with iCELS staff will be required, prior to final confirmation of a reservation for new users or for experienced users with new cases/curriculum. Our team can provide tours of the facility, and work with you to create or enhance your program goals. The most accurate way to find out about space, equipment and/or staff support availability, is to submit a completed Professional Space Usage Reservation Form. 

Learners: All levels of learners in the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing, allied health including physical therapy, residents, praticing healthcare professionals (HCPs) undergoing continuing medical education sessions; as well as your educators and administrators, where applicable. We also conduct sessions with industry partners, high schools, and government officials. We welcome you to reach out and discuss your healthcare simulation needs with us today.

UMass Chan Medical School’s interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (iCELS) collaborates with departments and faculty, both from UMass Chan and external organizations, to customize courses from our catalog offerings so that it suits your learning group's needs. We welcome you to reach out and discuss your healthcare simulation needs with us today.

iCELS runs a number of sessions and activities in its 24,000 sq ft space spanning 2 levels at UMass Chan Medical School campus Albert Sherman Center. Some periods are busier than others. The timing of your session depends on its formats and setup requirements. Most sessions would require planning to ensure the objectives are met, and the outcomes measured for learning effectiveness. For example, we have had experience offering self-directed learning station for airway management for 24x7 at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020. To find out when a simulation session can be held, we welcome you to reach out and discuss your healthcare simulation needs with us today.

If this is your first time working with UMass Chan Medical School iCELS SP Progrm, you might be delighted to find out about our established approach and methods at the SP Program section. If you are already familiar with how our program works, the next step is to make a booking at Contact Us section. Our dedicated and experienced team will work closely with you to plan for a successful education session.

SPs come from all walks of life, all races, ethnicities, abilities, ages and genders. These are everyday people who form part of an educational team at UMass Chan Medical School, by looking and acting like an actual patient after receive rigorous training provided by us, to accurately and consistently portray the personal history, physical findings as well as personality traits of an individual patient in a realistic and repeatable (standardized) way. SPs receive constant training to help medical learners learn how to interact with patients, and to deliver effective feedback to support a learning session. While some SPs enrich our shared experience with their background in acting, healthcare, education or communication, the SP community really is made up of a diverse range of individuals who are eager to learn and help faculty members carry out simulations to support education goals. Find out more about how one becomes at SP at our popular SP Recruitment section.

Thank you for engaging us in your experiential learning session. It gives iCELS and our SP community a great sense of satisfaction to know that we have engaged you in a realistic simulation session to help improve patient experience. Your feedback would help us deliver our best in this eve-advancing field of healthcare in the population today. You are most welcomed to share about the experience by Submitting a Feedback at the Contact Us section!

The UMass Chan Medical School Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) runs the following courses at iCELS: 

• Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Healthcare Providers
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• Fundamentals of Critical Care Support (FCCS)

For details and registration, please visit the UMass Chan Medical School Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) Department's website by clicking here.

CME courses are held at the second floor of iCELS, which is located at Albert Sherman Center (368 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA) of UMass Chan Medical School. Please plan for your trip by visiting this handy guide on getting here. If you do not have existing reserved parking at UMass Memorial Medical Center or UMass Chan Medical School, please park in the “South Road Parking Garage” for visitors, which is adjacent to the main Hospital entrance. Current rates for parking in the visitor garage can be found at http://umassmed.edu/parking/ Parking for BLS, ACLS, PALS, and FCCS are not reimbursable. For ATLS, learners may request a parking voucher at iCELS reception desk. For the latest updates, please visit the UMass Chan Medical School's Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) Department's website.

If you have a question or concern about a CME certification course such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, ATLS, or FCCS, please feel free to contact our Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME) at continuing.education@umassmed.edu or call 508-856-3041. A member of the certification courses team will respond as soon as is possible. We appreciate your patience, as we receive a high volume of inquiries.