Level Up Your Trauma Activation: A Gamified Simulation for Emergency Medicine Residents

Trauma-capable emergency departments rely on precise sequencing, role clarity, and coordinated interdisciplinary action. Early-stage residents often struggle with the cognitive and procedural demands of trauma activations, making deliberate practice essential. This innovation introduced a gamified simulation to strengthen residents’ understanding of trauma workflows and the importance of efficient, role-driven team performance.

This activity aimed to: (1) provide residents with structured practice in trauma activation workflow; (2) reinforce the importance of defined team roles; and (3) promote active learning through timed tasks, decision-making challenges, and rapid assessment exercises.

During the regular weekly conference, 11 EM residents participated in a faculty-facilitated, gamified trauma simulation using a small wooden mannequin. The scenario progressed through EMS notification, pre-arrival preparation, handoff, vital sign updates, and timed assessments. Residents selected play cards outlining tasks with estimated durations, and dice introduced variability. Faculty recorded key performance benchmarks and added complications when critical steps were missed, reinforcing workflow, role clarity, and timely execution.

Resident response was highly favorable. Most participants reported high satisfaction with the activity (94%). Learners endorsed perceived educational benefit in clarifying team roles (94%), the relevance of the simulation to real trauma care (92%), and the utility of play cards and the mannequin in supporting learning (96%). Time management during trauma activations emerged as the primary area for growth, with 78% reporting confidence in completing tasks within expected time frames.

Trauma activations require precise coordination, rapid decision-making, and a clear understanding of team roles. Early learners frequently struggle to integrate task sequencing, situational awareness, and time management during high-acuity resuscitations. To address this gap, we developed Trauma Man, a gamified simulation tool designed to teach trauma activation workflow using an interactive board-game–style format. This innovation transforms core trauma principles into an engaging, hands-on learning experience that emphasizes efficiency, communication, and systematic evaluation. The session will begin with a brief introduction to the educational rationale underpinning the game. Drawing from adult learning theory and gamification frameworks, we highlight how structured play can lower cognitive load, promote rapid pattern recognition, and create psychological safety for deliberate practice. Participants will learn how gameplay elements—task cards, dice rolls, timed benchmarks, and mannequin-based findings—map onto real trauma resuscitation processes such as pre-arrival preparation, primary and secondary surveys, procedural interventions, and reassessment. Attendees will then observe a live demonstration of the game. Using the Trauma Man board, play cards, timer, and mannequin, we will walk through a full round of a trauma activation. The demonstration will show how learners select assessment or procedural cards, execute tasks within realistic time intervals, respond to evolving physiologic data, and manage complications introduced when key steps are missed. Facilitators will model strategies for prompting clinical reasoning, reinforcing team roles, and maintaining a structured trauma flow while balancing unpredictability through dice-generated variability. This demonstration will allow participants to experience the instructional mechanics directly and consider how the approach could be adapted within their own programs. Following the demonstration, the discussion will shift to lessons learned from implementation within our residency program. We will review resident feedback, which showed strong engagement, perceived relevance to clinical practice, and improved understanding of trauma workflow. At the same time, participants will learn about observed limitations, including challenges with time management, complexity scaling for different learner levels, and the need for more structured debriefing tools. We will also address practical considerations for dissemination, such as materials required, facilitator preparation, and ideal group sizes. The session will conclude with proposed future improvements. Planned refinements include adding scenario variability (e.g., penetrating vs. blunt trauma modules), developing a digital companion app to streamline timing and data collection, incorporating interprofessional roles (nursing, RT, pharmacy), and creating validated assessment metrics to measure skill acquisition. We will also discuss opportunities for multi-institutional collaboration and potential research examining the impact of gamified trauma education on clinical performance and resident confidence. By the end of the presentation, attendees will understand the educational foundations of the Trauma Man simulation, observe a complete gameplay round, and leave with practical strategies to implement or adapt this gamified model for trauma training in their own settings.