CLINICAL SIMULATION CENTRE
Simulation
Quality healthcare programs depend on simulation, inviting students to apply theoretical knowledge in faculty-designed scenarios. Through simulation, you build teamwork and communication skills, enhance critical thinking capability and increase patient safety in clinical practice.
In the CSC, faculty assume the role of simulation facilitators, preparing students for optimal performance through life-like learning scenarios. Underpinned by evidence-based approaches to simulation-based learning, a trained simulation facilitator offers you support before, during and after each simulated healthcare scenario. Small-group debriefing follows each scenario to consolidate powerful learning.
Here, you experience controlled, planned learning events in environments that are almost identical to most patient-care settings. Through a variety of simulation scenarios, including crisis intervention, post-surgical care, suicide risk assessment, end-of-life care and newborn infant and mother evaluations, intensive skill development and personal growth occur. Our faculty collaboratively develop new scenarios that focus on resolving complex learning concepts.
Simulation modalities
Simulation plays a vital role in learning and promoting safe patient care throughout the student and professional lives of health care professionals. Three simulation modalities are practiced at MacEwan University’s Clinical Simulation Centre.
Students work with human patient simulators that talk, breathe and display vital signs or with task trainers that depict only parts of the body, such as a model of an arm or leg. The highly realistic human patient simulators facilitate a wide variety of instructional scenarios that focus on specific skills or a capstone of skills, communication and teamwork.
Students, their peers, simulation facilitators and the mannequin software interact constantly during learning events. Students receive feedback from facilitators and peers, review their own work using video recordings from the lab and collaborate with peers to share knowledge and lived experiences.
Standardized patient simulation involves a student and a trained role-player interacting in a clinical context. Standardized patients are often professional actors or students who portray patients or family members in learning scenarios, creating a realistic simulation scenario with situational dynamics.
Practicing situations such as a challenging discussion with a family or patient in a simulated environment prepares students for the human dynamics of their professions. Practicing physical skills, such as health assessment or lifts and transfers, before entering a professional setting is vital to safe patient care.
Virtual simulation utilizes screen-based computer programs that are designed to replicate procedures within virtual healthcare settings, such as starting an intravenous. When combined with motion sensor devices, virtual simulation provides a realistic motor coordination component.
Virtual reality learning is guided by feedback from artificial-intelligence-driven software to strengthen students' skills before they provide patient care in real situations. Augmented or mixed-reality learning experiences include the use of computer head gear to fully immerse learners within learning contexts and scenarios. Using this platform allows students to step into a real environment virtually and provide care as they would in a clinical setting.
Faculty development
Programs in the Faculty of Nursing and Health and Community Studies require faculty to develop expertise in simulation pedagogy. They do so by participating in the CSC's EASEE series and dry-run events and by debriefing to engage in supportive learning conversations within courses that feature simulation.
CSC EASEE series
The Educators Advancing Simulation Education Excellence (EASEE) series is a step-by-step approach to simulation educational design and delivery for faculty. This blended delivery model includes short, online, face-to-face and hands-on classes. The series is comprised of three levels: novice, practice advancement and curriculum integration. National League for Nursing (NLN) courses for simulation educators are made available to faculty in this series.