The Clinical Skills Training Center (CSTC) is a state-of-the-art clinical simulation and learning center at SUMC. It offers an advanced platform for early clinical practice and a sophisticated medical training and assessment base to our clinical students and residents from all levels.

The center was set up in 2002 as one of the earliest clinical skills training centers in China. Designed as an actual modern hospital, CSTC comprises extensive facilities such as an intensive care unit, operating room, microsurgery room, cardiothoracic room, cardiopulmonary examination room, laparoscopy room, and a delivery room. The center uses over 400 simulators and models to help students practice their clinical skills, including the first 'SimMan' simulator in China. By integrating real-time interactive simulation, virtual network technology, and multimedia learning systems with expert clinical observation and experience, the center efficiently facilitates the acquisition of those professional skills and competencies required by clinical practice.

Since its inception, CSTC has played a key role in training future healthcare professionals. Over 20,000 students have trained here, along with several hundreds of clinical teachers. The 'Basic Clinical Skills' program was enlisted as national key discipline in 2006 and has won several prestigious national and provincial awards. In 2008 CSTC was accredited as official training base of the Chinese National Medical Licensing Examination, and in 2009 we were designated as National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center.

CSTC is currently headed by director Prof. Jie-zhou Xu, who concurrently serves as chief physician in internal medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of SUMC. His staff at CSTC consists of around 10 full-time teachers and professional personnel. Apart from medical education and clinical practice, his team also actively contributes to clinical and basic scientific research in their field through several key publications.