As many institutions and facilities have begun to identify the immense value of implementing healthcare simulation into their curricula, a new challenge has become equally emphasizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Rooted in the desire to portray life-like patient scenarios for medical professionals and learners to gain necessary experience from, healthcare simulations must seem realistic. Just as hospitals and clinics take in patients of all backgrounds and demographics, medical simulation scenarios and experiences must portray diverse patients so learners understand how best to provide individualized care. This HealthySimulation.com article shares recent research and two upcoming events that are designed to stress a call for action for increased healthcare simulation DEI.
To help begin this greater conversation, authors Kellie Bryant, DNP, WHNP, CHSE, FAAN, and Crystal L. Murillo, PhD, RN, CHSE-A authored the article, “A DEI Call to Action: Racial Equity in Simulation Leadership Beginning the Conversation.” In this article, they explain that recent social unrest over systemic racial injustice has put a national focus on promoting racial equity. From here, Bryant and Murillo say more work needs to be done in terms of DEI actions taken to implement needed systemic transformation in simulation leadership.
“In simulation, there is a lack of racial diversity on the executive boards of our leading organizations. Although we have been fortunate to have great mentorship, we would be remiss not to mention the barriers that we and other people of color have encountered. This includes lack of representation, lack of mentorship, rejected attempts to present without constructive feedback, and lack of inclusion on committees,” they wrote.
Next, they share that, as change begins at the top, they believe healthcare simulation organizations must make a conscious effort to grow future leaders, ensuring that the executive boards and leadership accurately represent the racial diversity of the membership and community.
Providing an example of pushing toward increased DEI efforts, the authors report that INACSL recently developed the IncluDE Committee. This committee’s goal is to foster DEI within the organization and healthcare simulation community to impact the profession and society.
“Having organizations with members from diverse backgrounds increases innovation and should be recognized as a source of strength,” wrote the authors. “To catalyze change it is important to know the demographics of membership and leadership of the simulation organizations. To know where we need to go, we need to know where we are.”
For these reasons, Bryant and Murillo express that there should be diversity committees within all clinical simulation organizations, pipeline leadership mentorship programs for minorities including mentorship on development and dissemination of scholarly work, and scholarships to attend professional gatherings. As the greater healthcare simulation community addresses the authors’ points and continues to work toward establishing a field that possesses strong DEI, both learner outcomes and patient safety will see benefits.
Upcoming Healthcare Simulation DEI Event
“The Role of Simulation: Getting WISER on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”: Hosted by Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (WISER), this virtual conference and on-site workshop will be held on April 8, 2022, online and at 230 McKee Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The full-day course will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and their roles in healthcare simulation. Register for this event today!
During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to speak, share and brainstorm with some of the best in the healthcare simulation industry. Experts, Dr. Victoria Brazil and Dr. Kellie Bryant, will be on-hand as keynote speakers and will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and their roles in healthcare simulation. Further, working group sessions will be focused on debriefing, scenario design, and intersectionality/inclusivity in using standardized patients.
Participants can attend the morning virtual session ($50), afternoon in-person session ($75), or both sessions ($100). Plus, coming together saves money! Take advantage of a 15% discount when registering for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium. Offer valid only to groups of 10 or more who are attending ALL DAY (morning virtual session and afternoon in-person session). To receive the 15% discount, contact WISER directly with the number of people in the group at wiserhelp@upmc.edu. WISER representatives will assist you in processing your group order and can provide any additional information you need.
REGISTER TODAY: Champions of Simulation Virtual Symposium
- Wed. April 13th, 2022 | 8AM-4PM PDT, UTC-7
- Join Live & View Recordings for 3 Months
- 6 CEs Offered | CMEs in Application
This exciting CE event (CMEs in application, stay tuned) will host numerous presentations from some of the world’s leading clinical simulation experts. The keynote speaker for the event will be Dr. Robert Louis, MD, FAANS, Chief of Neurosurgery and Director of Extended Reality (XR), Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag Memorial Hospital. His presentation will focus on the topic: “It Isn’t Brain Surgery:
Using Simulation to Improve Patient Conversion, Understanding, Outcomes, and Satisfaction”, which HealthySimulation.com Founder/CEO Lance Baily says is “one of the best healthcare simulation presentations I have ever seen!”. Join simulation experts like Dr. Paul Phrampus, WISER Center Director & Medical Director of Patient Safety at UPMC, Dr. KT Waxman, Clinical Professor & Director at UC San Francisco and Co-Founder/Director at the California Simulation Alliance, and Dr. Pam Boyers, Associate Vice Chancellor Clinical Simulation at iEXCEL at the University of Nebraska Medical Center as they answer the question “Is it time the healthcare simulation community called for a National Patient Safety Board“?
Attendees are invited to join live on the day to ask questions from some of them and/or rewatch any session as much as they would like for three months following the event. Those who join live will have the opportunity to interact with speakers during live Q&A sessions, network, and share with global colleagues online. On-demand viewers maintain the ability to Download CE certificates (stay tuned for CMEs) anytime, anywhere with 24/7 access.
More About WISER
The Winter Institute for Simulation Education and Research (also known as WISER) is a world-class multidisciplinary healthcare simulation training and research facility out of UPMC. An institute of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the WISER Simulation Center’s mission is to conduct research and training programs utilizing clinical simulation-based education to increase patient safety at the UPMC and the school’s affiliates. The UPMC WISER facility is directed by Dr. Paul Phrampus, MD, who is also a professor in the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine.
