Free medical simulation scenarios provide healthcare educators with a way to quickly start providing clinical simulation experiences for educational, training, or patient safety initiatives. A medical simulation scenario provides clinical educators with an outline of a patient case experience and includes a patient history, medical record, chief complaint, and details the patient’s progression via signs and symptoms, as well as provides all the potential vital signs changes, scene settings, props, and necessary moulage. The standardization of a simulation based learning (SBL) experience through the creation of medical simulation scenarios helps clinical programs to improve performance over time across the entire cohort of learners or professionals. This HealthySimulation.com article by HealthySimulation.com Founder/CEO Lance Baily and Content Manager Teresa Gore, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CHSE-A, FSSH, FAAN, will review some resources for free medical simulation scenarios for simulation educators to incorporate into their simulation programs. After this, do not forget to check out our previous article on Free Nursing Simulation Scenarios!
ACEP Emergency Medicine Ultrasound and Toxicology Cases
The Emergency College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) provides and encourages educators to access and utilize these cases for the creation of ultrasound-focused simulation scenarios and educational materials. These cases are designed to highlight crucial teaching points within the realm of emergency medicine, showcasing how ultrasound can be a lifesaving tool. All the resources are conveniently available as downloadable images, video, DOC, and PDF formats for your convenience.
ACEP also provides cases for emergency toxicology. They encourage educators to download these to build their medical knowledge and education. The cases will emphasize key teaching points important in emergency toxicology. All downloads are in PDF format. Educators can complete and submit the New Simulation Case form to help build this valuable resource.
California Simulation Alliance
The California Simulation Alliance has a subscriber-only section for scenarios and tools. The scenarios that have been developed, validated and tested by CSA subject matter experts. QSEN and TeamSTEPPS competencies have been integrated into all scenarios where appropriate. Scenarios are to be used by subscribers only. If you are considering becoming a subscriber and would like to view a sample scenario, please contact CSA. Cases available include ambulatory care, critical care, implicit bias, LGBTQ, perioperative, leadership, peri-natal, emergency department, fundamentals in nursing, family nurse practitioner, medical-surgical, pediatrics, and interprofessional.
In addition to these resources, white papers, IP release forms, scenario validation checklist, CSA sim scenario template, CSA sim leadership scenario template, CSA sim storyboard sample, CSA abbrev template, and apprentice application. The California Simulation Alliance Simulation Scenario Template can be downloaded for free.
CORD EM
The Council of Residency Directors in Emergency Medicine (CORD) began in 1989 to promote the free exchange of ideas and solutions to challenges faced by emergency medicine educators. CORD offers Oral Board and Simulation Cases. Educators will need to log in and create an account to access these simulation cases.
EM Sim Cases
Most emergency medicine residency programs use simulation in some capacity. The goal of EM Sim Cases is to showcase peer-reviewed cases that are already being used across the country. The main goals for sharing the simulation scenarios are to create a large database of cases for EM educators around the world to use and map all cases to clear educational objectives.
EM Sim Cases range from pediatric to geriatric and multiple specialties that present in emergency medicine. There is a wide array of cases ranging from dysrhythmias, endocrine emergencies, weather-related events, traumas, and mental health.
Emergency Care BC
The BC Emergency Medicine Network was formed in 2017 as a grassroots initiative to bridge gaps and connect with emergency practitioners in urban and rural settings across B.C. with a vision to provide “Exceptional emergency care. Everywhere.” In 2023, BC EMN integrated into Emergency Care BC to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Network and give a voice to emergency care within the healthcare delivery system.
Gilbert Program in Medical Simulation at Harvard Medical School
The Gilbert Program in Medical Simulation at Harvard Medical School has developed a casebook of healthcare simulation cases. The case studies have been drafted, edited, and adapted to teach thousands of students. The simulation cases include cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, neurological, overdose, respiratory, and trauma.
MedEdPORTAL
MedEdPORTAL is the Journal of Teaching and Learning Resources for the Association of American Medical Colleges. MedEdPORTAL is a MEDLINE-indexed, open-access journal of teaching and learning resources in the health professions. MedEdPORTAL publications are stand-alone, complete teaching or learning modules that have been implemented and evaluated with physician trainees or practitioners. Each submission is reviewed by editorial staff and external peer reviewers. Learning modules, case studies, and scenarios are available through this publication.
Medical College of Georgia Case Bank
The Augusta University Medical College of Georgia Educational Simulation offers a large Case Bank. The test back provides a title, the system, the chief complaint, and specialty tags. Educators can download the cases for use in their programs.
MedPro Group Patient Safety & Risk Solutions: Simulation Training Sample Scenarios
MedPro Group is a Medical Insurance company. In 2017, they produced the Patient Safety & Risk Solutions: Simulation Training Sample Scenarios for anesthesia and surgical team, behavioral health de-escalation, emergency medicine pediatric patient, healthcare practice emergency, medical-surgical sepsis, senior care fall assessment, OB shoulder dystocia, and dental practice aggressive patient. These cases include a scenario background, learning objectives, target participants, expected outcomes, facilitator notes, equipment and supplies, patient & room scenario setup, handoff report, scenario phases with patient and SP responses, debriefing, and resources. There are resources for Simulation Basics and Scenario Development.
Medscape MedSim Patient Scenarios
Medscape’s Simulation team offers a free MedSim Scenarios PDF from their simulation for varying patient medical conditions, including pediatric and behavioral health. MedSims allows the participant to conduct immersive patient interviews, choose from more than 800 tests, select from 2000 potential diagnoses, consider 1.2 billion possible treatment options, conduct a decision review, and gain insight into the epidemiology, disease presentation, and treatment. To access these scenarios, participants first need to create an account. Then, they will be able to review charts and complete the patient assessment component of a chosen scenario to ultimately develop a plan of care. There are approximately 200 patient scenarios to choose from.
The SimTech Simulation Scenarios
TheSimTech provides a collection of donated scenarios for learners to use or modify. Scenarios include abdominal trauma from a motorcycle crash, bradycardia, difficult airway, sepsis, and more. There are currently 18 simulation scenarios available. This site has instructions and videos to help create the right moulage to support realism in the clinical scenario. Clinical and diagnostic images, along with a clinical audio database, are offered to provide support in the medical simulation.
USC Standard Patient
This project provides freeware Virtual Standardized Patient (VSP) community scenarios for medical learners, residents, continuing medical education, and medical educators. VSPs are virtual human avatars that can be conversed with (through typing or speech), that talk back, tell a story, and are coupled with a feedback system that allows learners to improve their performance. VSPs can tell their stories and can answer the most common medical questions that would be asked in a clinical environment. For learners, this resource offers the Standard Patient Hospital. For the educators, the Standard Patient Studio, the healthcare educator can learn to create an interactive virtual standard patient in less than one day and have access to published cases.
Don’t forget to check out our previous article on Free Nursing Simulation Scenarios!
If you know of other free resources that can be included in this section, please email us.
