At Ulm University’s new training hospital, the doctors of tomorrow will be undergoing practical training. The inauguration was held today for the new building, “ToTrainU”, with over 3,000 m2 of useable space. During the winter semester, which just started, medical students will already be practicing examination and treatment methods in various simulation rooms, that are similar to those common in GP offices or shock rooms. The new building is also home to Ulm University’s largest lecture hall, boasting 450 seats.

For a successful start in the medical profession, medical students not only need technical knowledge, but also practical and communication skills. Such skills, which are of great importance with respect to patient treatment, can now be acquired and reinforced in the Ulm training hospital “ToTrainU” (TTU). Simulation and study rooms for the future doctors are spread out for flexible usage over several floors, including a realistic GP’s office, an emergency room and an operating theatre. “Welcome to the future of medical training! With the opening of the training hospital, Ulm University’s medical programme has been taken up to the next level. The simulation training provides students with optimal preparation for the clinical training phase, and in particular for their work in the clinics and doctors’ offices,” explained Professor Thomas Wirth, dean of the Medical Faculty, at the inauguration.

Simulation rooms with cutting-edge media technology

In their opening addresses, Mayor of Ulm Gunter Czisch and University President Professor Michael Weber emphasised how significant the training hospital will be for the medical programme. Dr Hans J Reiter, director of the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, MWK), said on the occasion of the inauguration: “Ulm’s Medical Faculty has every reason to be proud of this new building. It will provide excellent new training opportunities for students and will play a key role in equipping the students with the practical and communication skills they need.” The possibilities for training scenarios in the TTU are manifold,  including anamnesis interviews with acting patients and treatment of critically injured dummies in the shock room. Under realistic conditions, students can practice such skills as surgical suturing, taking blood and resuscitation. They can also work to develop a confident, empathetic demeanour. “The simulation and examination rooms are all equipped with modern media technology. From the control and observation rooms, teachers can provide guidance for the physicians-in-training and offer assistance where necessary,” explained Professor Tobias Böckers, student dean of human medicine, who played a significant role in the conceptual design of the training hospital.

With 450 seats, the University’s largest lecture hall is in the training hospital

At the inauguration and during the subsequent tours, the head director of construction, Wilmuth Lindenthal (Vermögen und Bau Baden-Württemberg Ulm), presented the special features of the new building on Meyerhofstrasse. In addition to the treatment rooms and a teaching lab for molecular medicine, the TTU is also home to the largest lecture hall at Ulm University, with 450 seats. The Medical Faculty’s Dean’s Office will also be moving into the eye-catching new building with the green facade. After roughly three years of construction, the total costs including initial equipment and furnishings amount to 25 million euros, which has been financed by the Medical Faculty and the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts.

Immediately following the inauguration, the future users of the training hospital were allowed to visit for the first time. Medical students from various semesters were invited to attend the opening lecture in the new TTU lecture hall.

Flyer ToTrainU - Vermögen und Bau BW, Amt Ulm (in German only)

Text and mediacontact: Annika Bingmann