When Rare Really Matters – Using VEMS to Prepare Teams for High-Stress, Low-Frequency Events

Some clinical scenarios are rare enough that many teams may never encounter them in real life—but serious enough that when they do occur, the consequences are high.

A recent emergency department education session used Visually Enhanced Mental Simulation (VEMS) to explore exactly this kind of challenge: pregnant trauma and post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) in the emergency setting.

Both presentations are uncommon and unfamiliar to many ED teams. That unfamiliarity makes them ideal candidates for VEMS—where the goal is not technical perfection, but prioritisation, decision-making, communication, and shared mental models.

Using laminated patient visuals and simple prompts, the team worked through the unfolding scenarios together. They weighed up competing priorities, considered escalation pathways, used cognitive aids, negotiated roles, and how to balance obstetric and trauma considerations in real time.

Despite the simplicity of the setup—just flat pieces of paper in our sim space—there was no doubt the team was feeling the heat. Participants described genuine cognitive load and realistic pressure as the scenarios progressed.

The debrief that followed was rich and reflective. Beyond the clinical content, the conversation focused on team stress:

• How stress shows up when teams are working outside their comfort zone

• How teams recognise when cognitive load is rising

• Strategies for coping collectively under pressure
  

The group also doubled down on the unique features of these presentations—what makes pregnant trauma different, how PPH presents in the ED context, and what teams need to anticipate.

This session highlighted one of the greatest strengths of VEMS: it allows teams to practice rare, high-stakes situations and build confidence together. It creates space to think, talk, and reflect—before real patients are involved.

Simple tools for serious teams. 

If you are interested in the tools you need to run VEMS for maternity and trauma check out our products here.