About Us
Operative Experience Inc. (OEI) is a leading developer of high-fidelity patient simulators designed to reduce combat and civilian mortality.
Trusted by the U.S. Army Medical Simulation Training Centers (MSTC), top-tier medical schools, and emergency responders, we equip practitioners with the extreme anatomical realism required to prepare for life-saving interventions. Our focus is on bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world trauma care.
Our Mission
Our mission is to revolutionize healthcare training. Driving better healthcare decision-making in the field is our passion. We are dedicated to using our platform to reduce combat and civilian mortality and to provide humanitarian support to developing countries with limited medical resources.
Our History
OEI stands on the shoulders of medical and simulation pioneers. We are uniquely positioned at the intersection of brilliant clinical vision and unmatched commercial simulation expertise. Our leadership team literally helped invent the commercial patient simulation industry, and today, we continue to drive its most significant technological breakthroughs.
The Clinical Vision
After a long career as a trauma surgeon, Dr. Robert Buckman founded OEI to solve a critical flaw in medical training: the lack of realistic, hands-on surgical practice.
Backed by a series of U.S. Army SBIR grants, he successfully developed the first simulators capable of withstanding true “hands-in-the-body” operations using the standard surgical instruments practitioners rely upon.
The Industry Catalyst
Realizing this technology needed industry expertise to scale, Dr. Buckman partnered with Lou Oberndorf in 2016. A globally recognized pioneer in healthcare simulation and former founder of METI, Oberndorf brought decades of commercial and defense-sector experience.
Now serving as CEO, he and his executive team have built OEI into a premier global leader in medical education technology.
The Evolution of Modern Simulation
1994 | Discovering the Human Patient Simulator
While serving as an executive at defense contractor Loral, Lou Oberndorf visited the University of Florida to see the Gainesville Anesthesia Simulator (GAS). Recognizing the immense potential of a system that mimicked human cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, he licensed the technology and delivered the first commercial human patient simulator to the Icahn School of Medicine.
1996 | Spawning a New Industry
When Loral pivoted away from medical simulation, Oberndorf brokered a deal to acquire the licenses and assets, founding Medical Education Technologies Inc. (METI). Over the next two decades, METI helped establish the modern commercial industry for simulation-based medical training worldwide.
2011 – 2015 | A Recognized Legacy
Oberndorf’s impact on medical education was widely recognized by the industry. The Lou Oberndorf Lecture on Innovation was endowed at IMSH, he received the Pioneer in Healthcare Simulation award from the SSH, and he established a Professorship in Healthcare Technology at UF to ensure the ongoing development of learning technologies.
2016 | The OEI Partnership
Former trauma surgeon Dr. Robert Buckman approached Oberndorf with a vision: to create simulators that allowed for realistic, “hands-in-the-body” operations, complete with split-second dynamic variables. Knowing he needed a seasoned industry veteran to scale this quantum leap in technology, Buckman brought Oberndorf on as a partner, officially uniting clinical necessity with commercial mastery.
Leadership Team
Guided by decades of clinical, defense-sector, and commercial expertise, our executive team is dedicated to reinventing healthcare simulation technology. Together, they bring a shared commitment to innovation, quality, and a deeply rooted passion for improving patient outcomes on a global scale.
Core Differentiators: Training Without Compromise
We maintain a strict commitment to anatomical accuracy and physiological realism. Our simulators provide a level of clinical immersion designed to stress-test learners in the most demanding scenarios.
True "Hands-in-the-Body" Realism
Unlike standard mannequins, OEI simulators feature surgical operable tissue and accurate internal anatomy. Practitioners perform major, invasive interventions exactly as they would on a living patient.
Military-Accredited & Combat Ready
Developed alongside the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, our ruggedized simulators are utilized by the U.S. Army MSTC to train combat medics in Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) and prolonged field care.
Dynamic Patient Physiology
Our fully tetherless systems respond instantly to medical interventions in real-time. They introduce unexpected variables, severe hemorrhage, and complex trauma, forcing learners to adapt and make vital split-second decisions.
Who We Serve
We provide specialized, high-stakes simulation solutions that support higher survival rates across multiple critical care environments.
- Military & Combat Medics: Delivering highly portable simulation for point-of-injury care. We equip armed forces with the physiological accuracy required to master hemorrhage control and battlefield trauma in harsh environments.
- First Responders & EMS: Preparing civilian emergency teams for the unpredictable. Our simulators replicate mass casualty events, empowering paramedics to master life-saving, pre-hospital interventions.
- Medical Schools & Hospitals: Providing medical students, nurses, and surgeons with repeatable, high-stakes surgical scenarios, from complex OB/GYN emergencies to multi-system trauma—without risking patient safety.
Partnerships
We offer a broad portfolio of simulation-based training solutions to hospitals and health organizations, medical schools, first responders, and the military. Learn more about our customers and partners around the world who use our products to provide the highest standards of education for first responders and caregivers.
Our Partners
Learn more about our partners and simulation users around the world.
Case Studies
Read the latest news and articles from Operative Experience.
Case Studies
What is better than real-world examples? Read the latest articles and case studies highlighting just some of the teams and healthcare organizations using our products to provide the highest standard of simulation-based education for their learners.