“How to become a simulation technician in healthcare” is a question we are asked a lot at HealthySimulation.com. A career in healthcare simulation as a clinical simulation technician is an incredibly vital and variable role in order to make clinical simulation based education occur in most clinical simulation programs across the globe. This article will explore how to broch entry into this technology and team centered career path. A number of considerations around ideal skill sets both interpersonally and clinically will be discussed alongside academic and technology based requirements. These learnable skills can assist with the leap into the career path of a rewarding career as a healthcare simulation technician.
How to Start in the Healthcare Simulation Technician Role
Healthcare simulation technician careers have increased in popularity particularly over the last twenty years due to an increased awareness of the power of immersive learning in healthcare simulation for healthcare staff. The ways in which healthcare simulation scenarios and courses are delivered are often with technology of all kinds at the center of the healthcare simulation experience. As healthcare education technology is a fairly specialized field, the specialist role of the clinical simulation technician was born and has continued to evolve ever since.
A healthcare simulation technician assists to orchestrate health providers and students to learn and be given the opportunity to practice medical and team based procedures in an immersive, life-like and psychologically safe educational environment. Health professionals from all specialties use all types of fidelity of clinical simulation manikins from high-fidelity down to low-fidelity healthcare simulation task trainers in order to improve clinical skill mastery and improve patient outcomes.A knowledge of this equipment or interest to learn about is a key part of the clinical simulation technician role.
Healthcare simulation technology products such as patient simulators and other technology products relevant to the clinical simulation technician role often require education and orientation of clinical simulation program staff. Skills and expertise in a technology based background are generally required to achieve the requested learning outcomes for clinical simulation participants by a clinical simulation technician. Healthcare simulation technicians of a clinical simulation program will also generally be the point of contact to maintain simulators and other clinical simulation tools and technology.Skills centered around teaching and empowerment of other staff to acquire new skills related to healthcare simulation are essential to success as a healthcare simulation technician.
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Essential Sales Skills
A large segment of a healthcare simulation technician role is also to connect with sales representatives from healthcare simulation companies. This role has a dual purpose which includes awareness of up and coming products for the healthcare simulation industry and assistance in maintenance of product guarantees and upkeep of clinical simulation products. Experience in maintenance of corporate partnerships and maintenance of business relationships can be incredibly transferable skills for a healthcare simulation technician.
A clinical simulation technician job description, credential and qualification expectations and timeliness will vary greatly in different organization‘s. A degree in science or healthcare technology is generally preferred in order to become a healthcare simulation technician. In America particularly and beyond many healthcare organizations and clinical simulation labs will hire clinical simulation technicians who have completed a certificate from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.An Associate Degree in Health Technology can also be desired for this role in a lot of circumstances depending on organization location and expectations.
Certification and Previous Education Can Assist
A certification in clinical simulation can improve the odds of selection for a role as a clinical simulation specialist. As well as increasing the odds of selection for a job, a certification that is related to healthcare simulation will provide experience in healthcare simulation. Certification in healthcare simulation also provides skills in audio and visual technology utilized in healthcare simulation scenarios.
Adequate skills and knowledge in the use of all technology and software applications is critical in the role of a clinical simulation technician. Often healthcare professionals don’t have this skill set and rely on support for specialists in these areas in order to be able to deliver the technology that has been envisioned for the healthcare simulation experience. A healthcare simulation technician is essential in order to be able to bring the vision of healthcare simulation faculty to life for the clinical simulation participants.
High Level Communication and People Skills are Highly Desirable
Inter-professional and communication skills to a very high standard are essential for success in a healthcare simulation technician’s role in a clinical simulation program. Clinical simulation technician careers have a number of difficulties in these areas. A high amount of emotional intelligence is required in order to be successful in the role as well as a high standard of communication skills. A number of interactions are required between inter-professional teams in order to get healthcare simulation based experiences off the ground. The clinical simulation technician is often a key team member in order to orchestrate these experiences.
A high level of adaptability, networking and teamwork skills are required for a healthcare simulation technician role. High standards of teamwork and also customer service skills are very useful in the role. Adaptive expertise and improvisation skills are required regularly to counter challenges and problems caused by all technology and other team based challenges. Collegial collaboration with both colleagues and professionals from other departments is required so the ability to work with a number of different people is required.
A proactive approach to the healthcare simulation technician job can assist to streamline the clinical simulation technicians preventative maintenance procedures for any healthcare simulation products. A healthcare simulation technician’s job requires continuous learning in order to improve clinical work and grow within the role. The average annual salary in the USA is between $45,000 and $75,000 but varies greatly depending on the organization and clinical simulation program. Professional development and training should ideally be incentivised and negotiated as part of a new contract for this role.
Professional Development Plans are Critical to Success
International networks, societies and conferences are a critical support network while at the start of a career as a healthcare simulation technician. SimGHOSTS and SimOps are fantastic societies and conferences to attend as a new healthcare simulation technician. Local and international networks of other healthcare simulation technicians to provide support to new technicians can be incredibly useful in many ways. These societies and conferences provide incredible resources for professional development for new healthcare simulation technicians in person, virtually and through their websites.
To start out in a career as a healthcare simulation technician can place an employee often on an incredibly steep learning curve. A job as a clinical simulation technician can be incredibly rewarding and a number of skills are required across a broad range of areas. This article has discussed skillsets centered around technology, communication and teamwork in order for a new clinical simulation technician to be able to succeed in their role.
How to Fill-in for the Role of Clinical Simulation Technician
