Technology now enables healthcare educators to simulate lifelike scenarios to ensure students can deliver quality care from the moment they first see real patients. Simulation can be an asset in healthcare education, but state regulations do not always recognize its role in clinical competency.
"Simulation education offers unparalleled freedom for nurses and other health professionals. Controlled, simulated environments allow you to try and fail, then learn from your mistakes,” said Dean Pamela Jeffries, who is internationally known for her work in health care simulation and is dean of the GW School of Nursing.
“The real benefit of simulation is that you can take all the time you need to understand how you can improve," said Dr. Jeffries.
GW Nursing in March is gathering together leading voices in health care education and health policy for a Partnerships, Practice and Policy simulation conference to review current simulation science and its outcomes, and to discuss the policy implications of using simulation in education.
Dr. Jeffries will give the conference keynote.
Dr. Kris Dreifuerst will give the conference endnote. Dr. Dreifuerst is the author of multiple publications on simulation learning and debriefing strategies, Dr. Dreifeurst's scholarship is focused on the development, use and testing of innovative teaching methods to improve students’ clinical reasoning as well as preparing educators to use evidence-based methods to enhance clinical teaching.
Dr. Susan Gross Forneris will speak at the pre-conference March 8. She is Excelsior Deputy Director, NLN Center for Innovation in Simulation and Technology. An inaugural NLN simulation leader, Dr. Gross Forneries has been working in the field of clinical simulation since 2003. She has been instrumental in the design and implementation of NLN faculty development courses focused on simulation pedagogy, foundations, debriefing, curriculum integration and evaluation.
Other speakers include:
- Dr. Karen L. Lewis, Administrative Director, Clinical Learning and Simulation Skills Center, GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences
- Dr. Joyce A. Hahn, Associate Professor, GW School of Nursing
- Karen Evans, Executive Director, Maryland Board of Nursing
- Dr. Paula Saxby, Deputy Executive Director, Virginia Board of Nursing
- Dr. Bonita Jenkins, Education Specialist, Washington, D.C., Board of Nursing