Emergency Medicine Providers Practice Advanced Life-Saving Skills on 3D-Printed Models

Burlington, VT – Paramedics, EMTs and emergency medicine providers serving rural communities in Vermont and northern New York now have more opportunities to practice advanced skills for critical situations – skills they previously might have only been able to practice for a few hours each year – by using 3D-printed models made at University of Vermont Medical Center’s Emergency Medicine Department.  

In rural areas, health care providers perform certain emergency procedures infrequently and clinical mannequins used for training are expensive. Printing the medical models in-house at UVM Medical Center dramatically reduces the cost and allows more providers to practice with them more often. The models are affordable enough to be left at remote sites, where emergency medicine providers can continue to refine their skills, improving the care patients receive in those communities. 

“We used to rely on semi-annual training sessions where providers might get one or two chances to practice a skill,” said Laura Mulvey, MD, an emergency physician at UVM Medical Center and UVM Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital. “Now, with the low cost and accessibility of these models, rural health care practitioners can train as often as they need to, ensuring they’re fully prepared when faced with a real emergency.” 

Dr. Mulvey, who is co-leading the work with otolaryngologist Heather Herrington, MD, and Miles Lamberson, assistant director of Research in Emergency Medicine, said UVM Health Network is the only health care organization in the region that is using 3D printing in this way. 

Academic Medicine Improves Care Throughout the Region 

The medical models, which typically cost hundreds or thousands of dollars each, can be produced for just a few dollars by using 3D printing technology, said Lamberson, who is also an incoming student at the University of Vermont’s Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine. The printers themselves cost less than $1,500. 

“3D printing has allowed us to remove cost and logistical barriers that have, in the past, limited access to high-quality emergency training in remote and rural areas,” said Lamberson. 

Since the initiative’s launch, participants have printed more than 30 individual models and at least 10 unique model designs. One model of the upper portion of a femur – specifically the area of the bone from the top of the knee to about halfway down the femur – is used to train providers on “intraosseous access.” The technique is used to inject medication, fluids or blood products directly into bone marrow, in emergencies when IV access cannot be established, and patients need immediate delivery of fluids or medications. 

Another model helps providers train fine motor skills for ultrasounds. With the in-house printer, clinicians can rapidly develop prototypes for new clinical simulation tools. 

The initiative is a result of academic medical partnerships between the health system and UVM Larner College of Medicine that leverage expertise and funding to create real-world health care improvements. 

“It helped us take innovative ideas like this project and quickly turn them into practical tools for training rural providers,” said Lamberson. 

Advancing Sustainable Emergency Medicine Training 

For Betsy Piburn, PA-C, an emergency medicine provider at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and an educator at Franklin Pierce University, the impact of the unique academic medical innovation became clear at a recent conference in Stowe, Vermont. 

“I didn’t expect a talk on 3D printing to be one of my favorites, or one that would connect my two passions: emergency medicine and education,” said Piburn, who was inspired to begin using the technology herself. “Now, my students train with realistic, upright models instead of flat silicone sheets. It’s made a huge difference, especially in rural settings where cost is always a barrier.” 

Some of the models are designed with replaceable components so hospitals and EMS teams can print and swap out parts as needed, rather than purchasing entirely new models. 

By integrating 3D printing into medical training, UVM Health Network is increasing access to high-quality, low-cost simulation resources for rural providers across the region. This initiative supports ongoing skill development, reduces costs, and ensures that providers in remote areas have access to the same frequent training as those in larger hospitals.

This project was made possible by the Larner College of Medicine’s Frymoyer Scholars Program, which funds innovative medical education initiatives. The program was established in 2000 in honor of John and Nan Frymoyer and supports research, teaching, and patient care improvements.