Renowned SimWars competition comes to Vancouver: Part of a showcase conference on the use of simulation technologies to train health care professionals with no risk to patients

VANCOUVER, Nov. 6, 2013 /CNW/ - You've seen emergency teams perform on television shows in a simulation of real life situations. In Vancouver on Nov. 9, 2013, teams of health professionals will show how it's really done, as the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada hosts SimWars^TM for a second straight year.

SimWars^TM, opening Saturday morning at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, pits doctors, nurses and others in head-to-head combat as they navigate high-pressure simulated emergency scenarios in a friendly competition. Four teams will compete in the 2013 SimWars^TM and include members of the Canadian Forces, physicians and surgeons, registered nurses, paramedics and respiratory therapists.

SimWars^TM is an interactive learning competition that was created by Drs. Haru Okuda, Andy Godwin, and Scott Wiengart. Teams respond to simulated clinical scenarios and are evaluated on the basis of their communication, teamwork, decision-making and outcomes, after which an audience of peers casts its votes for the winning team. The final two teams face off in the grand finale for the ultimate bragging rights.

"There are more than 85 simulation training centres in Canada and the demand is growing. SimWars^TM is an exciting way to show off how simulation training can benefit medical education. Thanks to simulation training, health workers can be exposed to a variety of medical issues and become comfortable with a particular practice without risking a patient's well-being in the process," said Dr. Susan Brien, the Royal College's director of Innovation, Research and Scholarship, and co-chair of the conference that is sponsoring the competition.

SimWars^TM made its debut in Ottawa in 2012 as part of the Royal College's annual Simulation Summit. This year, the summit is being held in Vancouver and will examine ways that simulation technologies and techniques can help health care professionals learn and train effectively. The conference will host more than 300 simulation instructors, program directors, students, medical educators and planners from multiple health care disciplines and across Canada Nov. 8-9, 2013.

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

Source:
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
royalcollege.ca 

Information:
Sarah Matthews
Telephone: [phone] ext 472
E-mail: [email protected]
Sandy Shearman
Telephone: [phone] ext 464
E-mail: [email protected]