HOW DID YOU GET INTO HEALTHCARE SIMULATION?

About 12 years ago, I was tasked with creating childbirth education programs for expecting parents.  I wanted to provide an interactive session to teach what would happen in the event of a Caesarean birth—and simulation was the solution.  With a beanbag on the floor to represent the operating table, the learners were asked to take on various roles such as the mother-to-be, her partner, the anesthetic team, the operative team, etc.  

Before we knew it, there were a dozen people, simulating healthcare professionals, surrounding the simulated patient.  For those women (and their partners) who later experienced a Caesarean birth, the feedback was positive. The simulated Caesarean section class lessened their fear during the actual birth.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT HEALTHCARE SIMULATION?

The “simulationists” I have the pleasure of working with are the best.  They are so passionate about what they do and inspire me every day.  Working in rural Western Australia, like many rural and remote places around the world, we need to be flexible and adaptable in how we implement simulation based training.  

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT HEALTHCARE SIMULATION?

Reminding people that simulation is not the answer to all healthcare education.  

WITH THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH BECOMING CERTIFIED, HOW HAS THIS TRANSFORMED AND BENEFITED YOUR WORK AS A HEALTHCARE SIMULATIONIST?

Certification has given me a pathway to be formally recognized for the specialist simulation skills that I possess.  The networks that I have been able to establish across the world, as a result of certification, have been invaluable.

CREATIVE LICENSE

What do you do in healthcare simulation? 

Working for one of the largest health system in Australia—providing health services to approximately half a million people, including 45,000 Aboriginal people, over a two and a half square kilometer area— I get to travel to some interesting destinations.  

My travelling essentials are insect repellant, coffee bags, and my trusty coffin!