Having recently completed their first virtual simulation game (VSG) using the CAN-Sim process, Kerry-Ann Dompierre and Valda Duke share their experiences creating two VSGs focusing on the pediatric patient. During this webinar, the presenters will walk through their experiences and offer valuable information and tips to anyone interested in creating their own VSG. They also outline their plans to research and evaluate their VSG.

Ruth Schofield describes her leadership and participation in the development of a series of virtual simulation games (VSGs) on public health nursing. The VSGs were created by McMaster University School of Nursing, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, Queen’s University, the Canadian Alliance of Nursing Educators using Simulation (CAN-Sim) and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN). The VSGs which are freely available and accessible in both French and English, are designed to take nursing students through three scenarios focused on community assessment, health promotion approaches, and program planning and evaluation.

The VSGs integrate video clips that depict characters in a case study, assessment and reflection questions, options for debriefing, and other resources to support nurse educators in optimizing the learning experience for nursing students. Though designed primarily for use by individual or groups of students and educators in courses, they will also be a helpful tool for nurses and other allied health professionals looking to increase knowledge and skills in public health. This project, funded by a Virtual Learning Strategy grant from eCampus Ontario, was developed to address a need for public health virtual simulation offerings for nursing education. The games come complete with a Companion Guide developed to help nurse educators with pre-simulation preparation, de-brief, and facilitation, all of which are critical for ensuring achievement of the games’ learning outcomes and for supporting learning in schools of nursing province wide.