The number of courses provided by the Centre is increasing over time.

Some courses are being developed and will be available in the coming months. Please contact the Centre if you cannot find the course you require for up to date information. You may not find the course you (or your team) require. If this course would be of use to others within South Yorkshire we would be interested in discussing the possibility of developing a new course with you.

What the Centre does not provide?

The Simulation Centre provides team based training using high fidelity Simulation with an adult manikin and a 6 year old manikin. It does not provide:

• Skills training. This is better provided with part task trainers. Please contact your Clinical Skills Lab.
• Neonatal/Infant courses. Unfortunately there is no high fidelity neonatal manikin available at present. We hope to purchase one when availability/funds allow.

Why do you have to be involved in developing courses? Why can't the Simulation Centre staff just write and provide courses on their own?

The Simulation staff have expertise in their own clinical fields (Anaesthesia, Nursing, ODP) and in simulation. Thus we need input in development and running courses from senior staff involved in the speciality/clinical environment of that course. This gives validity to the training and helps us meet the learning needs of those who attend

What is involved in setting up a course?

This takes eight steps which are listed below. From initial contact to the course starting often takes at least 6 months.

1. Visiting the Centre

If you are unfamiliar with the Centre and the type of education we provide an early visit to the centre is essential. Problems have occurred in the past due, to misconceptions about the simulators / environment etc. During this visit we can discuss the course and start working on step 2.

2. Identifying Learning Objectives

This is the most important step. Working with you we will identify learning objectives for the course which are realistic and fit within the overall educational remit of the Centre. The courses we run have crisis management, teamwork and communication at their core. Recognition and management of the sick patient is also part of many of our courses.

3. Writing Scenarios

Once we have identified the overall objectives we can then design the course and then write the scenarios needed. Each scenario should have 4 or 5 educational objectives. The scenarios are best based on actual clinical incidents to create realistic situations but need to be structured to meet the educational objectives. We will provide examples and a structure for this.

4. Programming the Simulator and Dry Running Physiology

This is done by the Centre staff. It can take 3 to 6 hours of work to programme and test the physiology of the manikin for each scenario. This has to be done at times when courses are not being run so will obviously need 6 to 8 weeks to guarantee time.

5. Simulation Environment

The development of the environment and equipment will be variable. In most cases the majority of this is creating paperwork / test results etc though occasionally props need to be created. Paperwork is one of the vital parts to the fidelity of the Simulation and thus is best developed by those in the specialties involved.

6. Dry Running the Course

Once the above is complete we dry run the course with those who helped construct the course and some volunteers taken from the target group. This allows us to test the different aspects of the course and see whether it meets the needs initially outlined. Occasionally further programming needs to occur or other scenarios developed after this stage

7. Development of Faculty

As outlined above there is also a need for senior staff to be involved with the courses when they run. We do not stipulate minimum courses to be attended (as do some other courses) and the actual involvement of faculty will vary from individual to individual. Most faculty attend on the day and assist the Simulation Centre staff in running the scenarios and in the facilitation of the debriefs. If faculty want to be trained up as facilitators that will take 4 or 5 courses and some reading which we will provide. We are very aware of how busy everyone is so faculty roles will vary accordingly.

8. The Course Goes Live

The Centre will deal with all bookings and paperwork. Some courses are block booked, whilst others are individually booked. We appreciate help in advertising (if relevant) and contact making from those who have developed the course.

By running through this process we have found that the courses have been well received and have produced good quality courses.

What should I do if I am thinking about helping to develop a course?

Please contact us. You can visit the centre to find out more if you are unsure. We will discuss the course, the possibilities and develop a course if you are still interested.