Meet our new Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills, Jim Rinehart. Jim’s impressive work history first began with serving in the United States Marine Corps. After completing his term, Jim received his Paramedic Certificate from Davenport University in Grand Rapids, MI. Before then, Jim received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI. He then went on to pursue a variety of professional roles, such as becoming a field training officer, operations manager, educator, and regional EMS manager – which has provided him with extensive experience in disaster preparedness.
Not only does Jim bring more than 15 years of simulation experience to this role; he was also one of the first people in the nation to become a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator through the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Jim’s extensive knowledge about simulation education and system integration is the result of ample experience in a variety of healthcare fields, including grant submissions, program/curriculum development, bio-terrorism, disaster-preparedness, ACLS, ACLS-EP, BLS, PALS, ITLS, emergency medicine, patient safety, and inter-professional training. Jim also worked as the Operations Manager and Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, AZ, where he designed and orchestrated the opening of their world-class simulation center.
Most recently, Jim worked at Midwestern University in Phoenix, AZ, serving as the Assistant Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills, and as medical school faculty. During his four years spent at Midwestern University, he helped to implement and lead a variety of important initiatives, such as developing an American heart training center for students, instituting a 4-year ultrasound program at the medical school, and coordinating more than 27,000 standardized patient encounters and high-fidelity simulations annually.
Jim is married to his wife, Shelley, and combined are their children, Kalee, Jimmy (1993-2019), Joshua, Amy, and Natalie. Jim and Shelley enjoy spending time with their amazing granddaughter, Pearl, as well as their three fur children – Nala, Durga, and Bhavani. He is also pursuing his doctorate in Psychology, with an emphasis on innovation and technology in simulation education. Jim is a firm believer in exercise; and in the absence of exercise, going fast in a muscle car may cure any ailment.
Welcome, Jim, we are thrilled to have you!