Simulation Centre at Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham

Global Air Training’s Team Resource Management Train the Trainer programme develops expertise in the design and delivery of innovative learning activities and includes facilitation, session planning, teaching techniques and critique and feedback skills.

The patient simulator used in the Simulation Centre has many clinical features, and looks and responds to interventions with an amazing level of realism.  In aviation the use of simulators is long  established and an integral part of pilot training and ongoing review of pilot competency, which is not only used to develop and maintain technical skills but also to develop and assess the pilot’s interpersonal and communication skills.

Patient simulation is being increasingly used in the education and training of healthcare professionals however there are few simulator facilities as well-equipped as the Nottingham and Burton-on-Trent Simulation Centre.

The simulation Centre is designed for teaching and evaluating students in the essential clinical skills of patient history taking, physical examinations and dealing with emergencies along with communication and interpersonal skills.  The scenarios are highly realistic and challenging for the students who have live encounters with the patient simulator and/or with actors.  In the adjacent control room, instructors, via headsets, can communicate and observe their students.

The instructor can also ‘speak’ as the patient and change patient variables in order to enhance the realism of the simulation. The students are evaluated and receive feedback on their performance from both the facilitators and their peers who are able to watch their fellow students perform in real time on video monitors.  This aspect is particularly beneficial in developing insight into their limitations and areas for further learning.

The simulation laboratory offers distinct educational advantages, especially for learning how to recognise and to deal with complex, clinical problems in a safe environment and for developing interpersonal skills.  The simulator development team recognise the importance of having appropriately trained personnel involved in this facility. The team is convinced that building on the advance of simulation capability and extending its use will result in major improvements in the way teaching and evaluations are conducted for healthcare professionals.