Core Team Expands its Portfolio
By: Roberto CruzFernandez, BBA
Acting Project Manager
VHA SimLEARN National Simulation Center
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Simulation Learning, Education and Research Network (SimLEARN), National Training Center (NSC) mission is to keep improving the quality of health care services for America's Veterans through the application of simulation-based learning strategies to clinical workforce development.
However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Veterans Affairs (VA) travel restrictions, many in-person courses offered at the NSC in Orlando, Florida have been canceled in an ongoing effort to help stop the spread of the virus. To overcome these challenges, SimLEARN is diligently working on revamping and expanding its training courses. The focus will be on minimizing in-person attendance for core courses that will require VHA facilities’ training instructors to travel to the NSC and increasing the availability to access virtual live and self-paced courses.
The Core Courses are fundamental simulation training courses to which the students will register via the Talent Management System (TMS) and the SimLEARN Virtual Academy (SVA) to attend face-to-face or virtual training. At the present time, the SimLEARN Core Team is finalizing the courses to meet the training gaps due to the current environment (see descriptions below). Once approved, a class schedule will be released for face-to-face and virtual courses student registration along with additional information for self-paced courses when travel is authorized.
- The Simulation Foundations course is a virtual self-paced course for learning how to run, debrief, and role-play simulations that the NSC has reviewed and vetted. This course is a prerequisite for access to the SimLEARN Reserve. The SimLEARN Reserve is a just-in-time resource for staff to search for clinically vetted scenarios that have been reviewed by the NSC.
- The Introduction to Clinical Simulation (ICS) course is a face-to-face simulation training course that provides a theoretical foundation for simulation-based training by combining didactic, small group, and hands-on simulation activities. Participants can develop the skills necessary to design, develop, implement, and debrief simulation-based healthcare training scenarios in their work centers.
- The SimLEARN Faculty Instructor Course (SFIC) course is a face-to-face simulation training course that provides an application-based foundation for providing instruction within traditional modalities, as well as simulation-based training by combining lecture, discussion, practical exercises, and hands-on simulation activities. Participants will develop the skills necessary to provide traditional instruction geared toward adult learners, conduct simulation-based healthcare training scenarios, and be able to thoroughly debrief such events during SimLEARN training programs in their work centers.
- The Simulation Essentials course is a face-to-face field-based simulation training. Simulation instructor training will be provided in specific facilities/regional areas. This allows for the development of interprofessional instructor cohorts knowledgeable in the use of simulation-based training who will continue to assist and nurture members of the cohort. The on-site simulation training would focus on the specific needs of the facility/regional area, the use of modalities available at the facility, and building the team’s simulation experience. Training simulation instructors in interprofessional cohorts will increase the likelihood that simulation-based training will be developed and implemented in the facility.
- The SimLEARN’s Clinical Simulation Fellowship course is a face-to-face simulation training that will address the gap caused by the lack of qualified professionals trained to manage and operate healthcare simulation programs.
Despite these challenges, the Core Team is continuously working to improve its courses, processes and stands ready to assist other training teams to support SimLEARN’s goals of improving the quality of health care services for America's Veterans.
For additional information about these courses please email us at VHASimLEARNTrainingOps@va.gov and a member of the training operations will contact you.
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