Canada's first SimWars competition comes to Ottawa: Part of a showcase conference on the use of simulation technologies to train health care professionals with no risk to patients Français
OTTAWA, Nov. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Doctors, nurses and others will do battle this weekend in SimWarsTM, an interactive learning competition that has been popularized at various international meetings and is making its Canadian debut at the 2012 Simulation Summit. The competition is part of a dynamic conference examining ways that simulation technologies and techniques can help health care professionals learn and train effectively, without endangering patients.
From November 17 to 18, the Ottawa Convention Centre will host more than 300 simulation instructors, program directors, students, medical educators and planners from multiple health care disciplines and across Canada. Held annually, the summit is hosted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, this year in partnership with the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre (uOSSC) and the Algonquin College Health Sciences Simulation Centre.
"Simulation-training harnesses technological advances and team interactions to create health environments that mimic real life," explains Dr. Susan Brien, co-chair of the 2012 Simulation Summit and the Royal College's director of Innovation, Research and Scholarship. "This training can be seen as a dress rehearsal to better prepare health workers to take on increasingly complex system demands and patient complexity."
Medical simulation is advancing at a swift pace, in response to growing recognition of its usefulness at training health professionals for a variety of scenarios in safe and learner-focused settings. In just one decade, more than 85 simulation centres have opened up across Canada, a sign of how widely-accepted simulation-based medical education is becoming and the demand for more.
"Exposure to different medical issues is really 'luck-of the-shift,' so-to-speak, and it takes time to encounter the volume of recurrent cases to make someone comfortable with a particular procedure, especially if it is uncommon," adds Dr. Vern Naik, director of the uOSSC and conference co-chair. "In some respects, simulation-training just advances what health professionals have always done: practice — it just does so more efficiently and without risking a patient's wellbeing in the process."
A key part of this year's summit will be the SimWarsTM. Created by Drs. Haru Okuda, Andy Godwin and Scott Wiengart, this series of sessions will showcase teams competing as they navigate high-pressure simulated scenarios that test their teamwork, decision-making and communication skills. Teams include Canadian Forces personnel, registered nurses, respiratory therapists, and specialists and trainees from Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, General Surgery and Critical Care.
Round 1: Saturday, November 17, 13:00 - 14:30 p.m.
Round 2: Sunday, November 18, 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
SimWarsTM Finale: Sunday, November 18, 14:30- 15:30 p.m.
The complete program for the 2012 Simulation Summit is available at:
www.royalcollege.ca/simulationsummit/program
Other conference highlights
Prohibitive costs are a commonly-cited limitation to the expansive use of medical simulation technologies and their future advancements.
| "Emerging I2 trends in Simulation Technology" This session will look at emerging trends in simulation, from a technological perspective. Guest speaker Samsun Lampotang, PhD, professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Florida has pioneered patient simulator and web-based virtual simulation inventions. He will highlight the wide-range of gadgets available to enhance learning, as well how these innovations can be used to improve educational experiences and clinical outcomes. Saturday, November 17, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
| "The return on investment of simulation - What would an investor want to see?" Sure to provoke discussion and debate, Dr. Michael Seropian, immediate past-president of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, will share his views on the investments needed to make simulation more effective within the context of improved patient safety. He will also delve into what he sees as the return on investment for simulation research, training and assessment. Sunday, November 18, 08:30 - 09:15 a.m. |
About the Simulation Summit and the Royal College
The Simulation Summit is hosted by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a national, not-for-profit organization with more than 42,000 members in 87 countries. The Royal College contributes to improving the health of Canadians by setting the highest standards for specialty medical education. Dedicated to lifelong learning, scholarship and innovation, the organization is also a trusted partner in advancing sound health and public policy.
SOURCE: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Information:
Tom McMillan
Telephone: 613-730-8177 ext 474
Cell: 613-218-9570
E-mail: [email protected]
Share this article