July – September 2016

September 2016

Upcoming workshop: NHET-Sim C2 Module Workshop – Being a Simulation Educator

NHET-Sim is an award winning program that is aimed at healthcare professionals and educators to support them in the area of simulation based learning. A workshop which is part of their core module, C2 is being held at RACS, Melbourne on the 23rd September 2016. For additional details and registration, see here.

August 2016

Call for participants for a PhD study:  “The lived experience of adolescent SPs in health professional education”

What is the study about?

“Specialized skills are needed when managing adolescent care. Health professional education is diversifying by including adolescent simulated patients (SPs) in learning activities. SPs are well people trained to portray specific conditions in a realistic way.

Research on the involvement of adolescent SPs in education demonstrates benefits for learners and adolescents. Primarily for the learner, they can increase motivation and confidence, enhance the development of empathy, assist the learner to develop a professional identify and ease the transition from learner to health professional. Adolescent SPs also value the experience as their ability to discern “good and bad doctors” allows them to positively influence the preparation of medical students. In addition, the development of self-confidence and communication skills, along with the remuneration offered, are positive facets of adolescent involvement.

A balanced perspective also acknowledges the potential for negative effects, particularly in the short term. Research indicates that, at times, adolescents can feel like their role portrayal has become hard work, and impacts on their extracurricular activities and social commitments. The impact on academic performance and increasing worry about their own health are also possible outcomes. Although adolescent SPs have been involved in simulation for some 30 years, limited research exists on what the experience is like for the adolescent. It is anticipated this study will provide vital information regarding the employment of adolescents in simulation, identify whether adolescents experience harm and therefore whether health education should really be including adolescent SPs at all.”

Participants’ profile:
SPs aged between 11-18 years, both male and female.

What is required from participation?
A one-off interview with each participant. The interview is expected to take about an hour.

The ethics approval number for this study is:  MUHREC Approval CF15/4767 – 2015002044

To participate in the study or for more details, contact the researcher:
Andree Gamble: Andree.Gamble@holmesglen.edu.au

Winning research posters at ASPE 2016

17 eligible entries were considered and four winning posters were announced at ASPE 2016. Details of the winning posters are available here.

Release of Healthcare Simulation Dictionary

The Healthcare Simulation Dictionary has been released by The Society of Simulation in Healthcare (SSH). This dictionary is the first of its kind and the purpose is to ‘enhance communication and clarity for healthcare simulationists in teaching, education, assessment, research, and systems integration activities‘ (SSH 2016).

The dictionary is available for download for free from the SSH website: http://www.ssih.org/dictionary

Upcoming conference: Australasian Simulation Congress (ASC) 2016

The Australasian Simulation Congress hosted by Simulation Australasia will be held on Monday 26 September – Thursday 29 September 2016. The ASC combines both SimHealth and SimTecT. For the first time, it will also include the International Simulation and Gaming Association (ISAGA). The location of this event is at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Victoria, Australia.

For the provisional program and details for registration, visit the official site here.

July 2016

ASPE: SP Educator Survey Needs Your Input

The Association for Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) needs input from SP educators. They seek to understand better the depth and breadth of the work of SP educators. The data will be used in the following way:

  • Inform ASPE leadership on how to better respond to the needs of their members.
  • Contribute to knowledge about the profession that can be shared with others.

To participate in the survey, click here.

NHET-Sim is re-launched

This award winning program has been re-launched on Friday, 1st July 2016. The NHET-Sim program encompasses training for the utilisation of simulation based education (SBE) in healthcare for healthcare professionals as well as educators. The training consists of both e-learning modules and workshops. It includes training modules for SP methodology and other modalities of SBE.

For more details about the program and details for registrations, visit the site here.