63 – Just Say ‘No’ to Simulation – Myths and Fails


This episode was recorded live at Markham Stouffvile Hospital in Canada. Victoria and Jesse were generously hosted by the hospital to share some lessons learned in simulation programs. This presentation was initially developed for a symposium in Dunedin in March 2018. We decide to reprise it, but instead of a presentation – Simulcast Live. Hope you enjoy and we’d love to here some of your lessons learned and keep adding to the myths and fails.

Thanks to Justin Morgenstern @First10EM for making the visit happen. We had a great time and the hospitality was amazing.

The Slides

The Audio


8 thoughts on “63 – Just Say ‘No’ to Simulation – Myths and Fails

  • Zachary Buxotn

    This entire podcast was basically me snapping my fingers saying “YES! SO MUCH YES!”. But from a nursing standpoint I immediately connected with myth two and thought about Victoria’s comment in podcast 60 about “playtime for registrars”. As you said we are not very good at diagnostic cues and why do we need to keep the patient condition “secret” and make diagnosis difficult when we know it is difficult to give diagnostic cues on a manikin. My internal dialogue has always been “why are we trying to use simulation to teach physicians to diagnose? They spend their entire career learning to diagnose. “
    While there are undoubtedly many pitfalls associated with this myth the first thing that I thought upon hearing this conversation was that in these sims a missed diagnosis also means the rest of the team misses out on an opportunity to reach their learning objectives. Some of the best simulation experiences as a participant and as a sim-co have had blazingly obvious diagnostic cues. “blunt force trauma with a nice seatbelt sign and tachycardia, tachypnoea” many diagnostic differentials but the cue is realist and obvious. In making the diagnosis reasonably clear the team then gets an opportunity to focus on things simulation in healthcare does well and allows for all of the many professions involved to buy in and be engaged instead of floundering for some obscure medical diagnosis for which we as educators haven’t given participants the information they need.

    Really keen to have a second listen to this podcast – it’s a real banger as the kids say 😉

  • Debra Nestel

    Another fabulous podcast summarising years of simulation experience in 40+ minutes with pragmatism privileged! Loved it.

  • Paul Elliott

    Hi Vic and Jesse. Great podcast as always.
    Jesse as part of the discussion of risks in the insitu environment you discuss the need for a risk matrix including the mitigating factors as part of your insitu simulation plan. Do you possibly have an example of this? Also how are the ‘no-go’ criteria documented and are they always the same?
    Thanks.

  • Zachary Buxton

    After listening to Ben’s recent APLS presentation I (re) commited to a goal of listening to one old podcast and reading a feature article per month. I have actually listened to this podcast several times over the last few months and every time I am reminded of some really important pitfalls (and conversely where sim excels!).

    This is actually one of my absolute favourite podcasts and it is so immediately applicable to life in “the coalface”. I have recommended this podcast to numerous Sim enthusiasts and every time the feedback is so positive.

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