The curriculum team is excited to announce some exciting events happening at WISER! From unique opportunities working with the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation Patient Safety Fellows to the implementation of our Improving Simulation Instructional Methods (iSIM) course, we illustrate our dedication to advancing the knowledge and skills of healthcare providers and educators in the vast world of simulation.
Over the summer, we worked in partnership with the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship Program and the Pitt Schools of Nursing to host a National CRNA Diversity Workshop! Nearly 200 participants interested in applying to nurse anesthesia programs visited WISER to experience first-hand how simulation-based education and training can be deployed to improve patient safety outcomes. We also had the pleasure of welcoming Jewish Healthcare Foundation Patient Safety Fellows to learn more about WISER and our simulation-based healthcare programs. WISER faculty, including Senior Associate Director Dr. John O’Donnell, and our current fellows Dr. Suwattana Klanarong, Dr. Advait Kothare, and Dr. Hafizah Abdul-Salim coordinated various interactive simulations ranging from ultrasound guided diagnosis and decision making to difficult airway management while emphasizing patient care outcomes.
To help build the skills and abilities of novice instructors and healthcare educators incorporating simulation in their curriculum, WISER hosted an iSIM course at the beginning of September. From the first stages of curriculum integration to the final stages of debriefing, participants of iSIM worked with WISER’s Director Dr. Paul Phrampus, Director of Operations Tom Dongilli, and Dr. John O’Donnell to learn about effective scenario design and implementation. Emphasizing active participation, learners created and piloted their own scenarios while receiving direct instruction, feedback, and support from the experts at WISER. This course, developed in partnership with the Gordon Center for Simulation and Innovation in Medical Education, is the only two-day program that teaches all the foundational knowledge needed to run a successful scenario from start to finish!
It is part of WISER’s mission to support the next generation of healthcare professionals interested in simulation-based training programs. If you would like to incorporate simulation in your healthcare curriculum, but aren’t sure where to start, send us an email at wisercurriculumteam@upmc.edu!