WCM-Q experts and participants of the course.
Doha, Qatar: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently held its fourth annual “Simulation Educator Course: Designing and Debriefing Effective Simulations,” offering clinicians, technologists, health professionals, and educators an opportunity to master the effective use of simulation-based education.
During the two days, participants explored the theoretical foundations of simulation-based learning and designed simulation scenarios aligned with healthcare simulation standards of best practice. The course emphasised the three-step approach of prebrief, simulation, and debrief to ensure psychological safety for learners to identify and address gaps in their knowledge and practice.
Discussions revolved around emerging evidence on the importance of eliciting learners’ emotional reactions at the outset of any debriefing conversations to ensure emotions did not block cognition and to provide a forum for practitioners to recognise and express “stressful situations” and learn approaches to manage similar emotions in the clinical setting. Interactive debriefing and peer feedback sessions enabled participants to reflect on, analyze, and understand the risks and benefits of observed behaviors.
The course was designed and delivered by Dr. Stella Major, a professor of family medicine teaching in medicine and director of the Clinical Skills and Simulation Lab (CSSL) at WCM-Q, and Dr. Michelle Brown, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), founding program director of the healthcare simulation master’s degree, educator in the Office of Interprofessional Simulation, and director of research for the Office of Interprofessional Simulation.
They were joined by three simulation facilitators: Rudy Bahri, the manager of CSSL at WCM-Q; Arlene Masaba, from the Nursing Department at the College of Health Sciences, University of Doha for Science and Technology; and Dr. Maham Batool Hadi, a clinical tutor at Qatar University College of Medicine.
Dr. Major, the course director, said: “There is growing evidence to support the impact of simulation-based training on improved patient care and building effective teamwork. I am delighted to see a growing interest among educators seeking opportunities to learn to become better simulation practitioners. Thus far, our course has welcomed 136 participants from Qatar and the MENA region." This year, the course welcomed 36 participants, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, healthcare simulation professionals, technologists, and educators.
