The awareness of simulation as a pedagogy in health sciences has developed rapidly over the course of the last two decades. And in response, we have seen the parallel emergence of simulation interest groups at local, national and international levels; an increase in scholarship in the field and; an increase in resources available to guide simulation in clinical health sciences education. So why did we develop this guide?
The idea behind the creation of this guide emanated from workshops and collegial discussions between health science educators within the Universitas 21 Health Sciences Group. Through our engagements it became evident that whilst clinical simulation practices are rapidly gaining traction in health professional education, not everyone is equally capacitated to make full use of this powerful and exciting teaching, learning and assessment methodology.
The guide begins with a clarification of selected terms and concepts applicable to clinical simulation before moving on to present options and advice on the design, construction and conduct of clinical simulations. The guide also provides suggestions regarding how one may make use of clinical simulation to gauge clinical competence and to conduct research in the simulated environment.
We hope you will find this guide enjoyable reading and that it may assist you in becoming more involved in the design and application of simulations within your individual learning contexts.
