Who should attend

This course is designed for anyone interested in using simulation as an educational method, particularly health and social care professionals and those involved in their training and education.

What you will learn

Learning objectives

1. Discuss features and limitations of different simulation modalities including matching simulators to educational need
2. Critically review relevant established standards documents for simulation practices
3. Critically review hot topics in simulation-based education (e.g. psychological safety, low resource simulators; GenAI impact on simulation; simulators across the lifespan; moulage etc.)
4. Design simulations to support development of a range of clinical skills and professional practices (e.g. psychomotor skills for clinical procedures; recognition and management of a deteriorating patient; holistic clinical practice; team communications etc.)

Course webinar requirements

There are weekly live sessions throughout the course. Each session takes place in evenings and the dates will be confirmed closer to the course commencement.

Assessment (assessed version of the course only)

• Assessment 1: Develop an evidence-based lesson plan (40%)
• Assessment 2: Reflective writing based on the lesson plan (30%)
• Assessment 3: Asynchronous online communication (30%)

Program structure

Simulation modalities are diverse, ranging from task trainers and manikins to screen-based simulators and human participants (simulated patients). Each modality can vary in its level of technology, the scope of tasks it supports, cost, realism, and the preparation and post-simulation support required. Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality simulators are also becoming increasingly common.

Participants will learn how to select appropriate simulators for specific learning activities, taking into account the simulation environment—whether in a skills lab, in situ, or mobile—and supplementary technologies such as audio-visual capture and review (also known as video-assisted debriefing).

Using a systematic approach to simulation-based education, participants will design a simulation activity and explore its potential implementation. While recognising the many applications of simulation, this course focuses primarily on its role in education and training.

This course is delivered over an eight-week period, including two study breaks. Weekly activities are designed to be completed in sequence.

For students enrolled in the assessed version of the course, please note that assessment due dates occur after the 8-week teaching period

Accelerate your qualification

Eligible participants who complete the assessed version of this short course can receive 6 credit points towards:

• M4008 Graduate Certificate in Clinical Simulation
• M4009 Graduate Certificate in Health Professions Education
• M6039 Master of Clinical Simulation
• M6038 Master of Health Professions Education

Professor Debra Nestel

Professor, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health

Debra Nestel is Professor of Simulation Education in Healthcare, Monash University, and Professor of Surgical Education, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Australia.

Debra was Founding Editor in Chief, Advances in Simulation (www.advancesinsimulation.com), the journal of the SESAM.

Debra is Editor in Chief, BMJ STEL, the journal of ASPiH.

She is program lead for the Masters of Surgical Education (Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons) and the Graduate Certificate in Clinical Simulation. Debra leads a national program for simulation educators – NHET-Sim (www.nhet-sim.edu.au) and a virtual network in simulated patient methodology (http://www.simulatedpatientnetwork.org/).

Debra has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers in simulation and health professions education, edited books on simulated patient methodology (2015), healthcare simulation (2017), surgical education (late 2017) research methods for healthcare simulation (2019) and is editing a major reference work on clinical education.

Professor Ram Nataraja

Professor, Paediatrics Monash Health

Having obtained a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in paediatric surgical higher training in the London Deanery I worked as a Paediatric Surgical Consultant at both Barts Health, and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, United Kingdom. My training was primarily in the London Deanery but also included a fellowship at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. In 2015, I relocated to Monash Children’s Hospital (MCH) in Melbourne Australia to take up my current position as Director of Surgical Simulation and a Paediatric Surgical Consultant. I obtained my FRACS (Paeds) in 2017 from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

I am a Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University and coordinate paediatric simulation-based educational (SBE) activities at MCH in my role as the Director of Surgical Simulation and the Director of Monash Children’s Simulation (MCS). These are organisations which I founded in 2015 conduct both internal and external SBE and collaborative educational projects with organisations such as the W.H.O. Since forming MCS we have delivered more than 500 educational activities to more than 5000 participants. This includes inter-professional learning and surgical courses targeted towards General Surgery, Paediatric Surgery and Obstetrics & Gynaecology with a novel home-based laparoscopic programme. The medical programme includes courses targeting neonatology, paediatrics, and surgery for both nursing and medical participants. In the COVID-19 Pandemic we have converted most of the portfolio to virtual courses with equivalent feedback to the traditional face-to-face courses. I am also the co-director of multiple postgraduate courses at Monash University leading to the award of the Graduate Certificate of Clinical Simulation.

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