Simulation Canada
Simulation Canada (formerly known as SIM-one and the Canadian Network for Simulation in Healthcare) is Canada’s interprofessional, cross-sector network for the advancement of healthcare simulation. SIM-one and the Canadian Network for Simulation in Healthcare completed their integration in September 2017 to establish Simulation Canada, a new, interprofessional simulation network. Ever since, the nonprofit organization has served to connect clinical simulation community members, facilities and resources across Canada and beyond. Simulation Canada advocates for and advances medical learning through simulations to benefit patient safety and care.
Simulation Canada’s vision is a world where exceptional patient care and outcomes through healthcare simulation are universal. Therefore, the organization’s mission is to improve healthcare education, patient safety and quality improvements while connecting disparate healthcare and human service professions, disciplines and care delivery sectors. This has led Simulation Canada to establish six guiding values: disruption, respect, best practices, community, collaboration and transparency.
Simulation Canada is an inclusive, interprofessional network with representation from all healthcare professions and disciplines as well as various sectors, including colleges and universities, hospitals, government offices and industries. The organization also includes human services, such as security, firefighting, social work, early childhood education, developmental service work and more. With a dedicated community of more than 2,000 individuals, Simulation Canada promotes involvement in all levels of healthcare simulation.
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Simulation Canada encourages healthcare simulation professionals to engage with the organization’s passionate community, contribute to the advancement of clinical simulation and seek out industry resources. For example, Simulation Canada offers advanced educational training and simulationist certification, including through the Keystones of Healthcare Simulation and Mastering the Artistic Side of Clinical Simulation (MASCS) certificate programs.
In addition, Simulation Canada hosts a number of free, online services that are open to simulationists and health professionals across the globe. This includes the SIM Scenario Exchange for peer-reviewed healthcare simulation scenarios and tools, the SIM Marketplace for the buying and selling of gently-used simulation equipment, the SIM Product Directory and more.
The annual SIM Expo (Simulation Canada’s flagship conference) and the National Forum on Simulation for Quality and Safety are other organizational learning and networking opportunities. An interprofessional and multidisciplinary simulation conference, Simulation Canada’s annual Simulation Exposition celebrates the creativity, dedication and accomplishments of Canada’s healthcare simulation community.
Timothy Willett, MD MMEd, President and CEO at Simulation Canada has shared that, “Each year, the SIM Expo brings together healthcare leaders in university, college, hospital, emergency services, and community care sectors. Our participants are deans, administrators, educators, clinicians, SIM centre managers and directors, and researchers from all health professions. Most participants are Canadian but it is an open conference and each year we are honored to host some international participants.”
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Simulation Canada History
In July 2016, SIM-one launched membership programs, officially shifting from a government-funded to a member-based organization. Two months later, SIM-one and CNSH began the integration process. By September 2017, members voted to finalize the integration of SIM-one and the Canadian Network for Simulation in Healthcare, forming a new, integrated, interprofessional simulation network for Canada. In August 2018, this network broke ground, offering the first course available entirely in French.
One year after SIM-one and the Canadian Network for Simulation in Healthcare integrated in September 2017, members unanimously voted to change the organization’s name to “Simulation Canada.” The name change was designed to reflect the renewed scope, energy and vision of the integrated network. The Simulation Canada faculty members within this network are national and world leaders in healthcare simulation research and practice. They come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including medicine, nursing, EMS, respiratory therapy, theatre arts and more.
Today, Simulation Canada offers a wide array of professional development courses in healthcare simulation-based education. The programs are designed for anyone in healthcare or human services interested in learning about the clinical simulation field, becoming a simulation educator or refining medical simulation skills. Interprofessional education (IPE) continues to be the primary driver for the delivery of all Simulation Canada course offerings. These courses are founded on current educational theory and evidence, and reflect existing best practices in healthcare simulation.
Simulation Canada Healthcare Simulation Courses
Simulation Canada strives to make programming as accessible as possible, offering both on-site and online options. To further ensure high-quality and needs-based course offerings, Simulation Canada is actively pursuing working relationships with organizations from around the country and across all sectors. The organization offers sponsorship and co-development opportunities for courses, educational activities, events, healthcare simulation awards and more.
In terms of online learning programs, Simulation Canada structures courses as facilitated, interactive programs. They are designed to maintain the connections and community-building relationships among peers and experts that are a hallmark of in-person courses. Examples of Simulation Canada healthcare simulation courses include “Briefing, Debriefing and Facilitating Simulation,” “Developing Interactive Virtual Simulations Workshop,” “Introduction to Simulation: The Essentials of Simulation-Based Learning” and “Keystones Apex in Simulation-Based Education.”
Courses are offered in an e-learning environment that encourages flexible engagement with peers and course content. Each course is facilitated by Simulation Canada experts and experienced faculty members. Simulation Canada also extends the option for external organizations to offer courses through private hosting to focus on development of their own healthcare simulation team and strategy.
Additional Simulation Canada Clinical Simulation Resources
Simulation Canada enables and supports research, development and innovation in the field of clinical simulation for health professionals’ education and health system improvement. The organization offers a number of services, including research and development grants, training, mentorship, commercialization support and more.
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Drawing upon the organization’s extensive network of over 50 simulation centres and over 500 healthcare simulation researchers and innovators, Simulation Canada’s R&D community holds tremendous potential to advance our knowledge of medical simulation-based training, to develop and implement novel clinical simulation-based curricula and quality improvement programs and to create new healthcare simulation tools and technologies. Simulation Canada currently offers the following services:
Simulation Research & Innovation Grant: Simulation Canada (formerly SIM-one) previously offered grants to fund research projects in Ontario.
Research Training: The Simulation Research Primer is the perfect introduction to the world of research in simulation-based education. Simulation Canada also offers distance learning and webinars on research and innovation. Webinars are offered periodically on key and emerging issues in healthcare simulation
R&D Mentorship and Networking: Simulation Canada draws upon the organization’s vast network to bring together researchers and innovators from diverse professions and disciplines to enable mentorship for new researchers and collaboration for multi-site and multidisciplinary projects.
Innovation Support: Simulation Canada helps simulationists bring new ideas to life. Whether an idea for a new product, technology, technique or service, Simulation Canada provides assistance and guidance across the continuum of innovation and commercialization.
Publications: Simulation Canada is constantly screening academic journals for new publications related to simulation-based education. The organization maintains a list of all journals that publish simulation-related papers.
External Grants and Conferences: Simulation Canada maintains up-to-date lists of external funding opportunities and conferences related to healthcare simulation. Learn more on the Simulation Canada website or read these articles below.
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