Decked out in a virtual reality headset and hand controllers, Donna McDermott, PhD, RN, CHSE, tried her hand at the newest virtual reality technologies in health care at IMSH 2022. As the associate dean for Simulation Programs at S.H.A.R.E ™ (Simulation Hospital Advancing Research and Education), McDermott is always looking for new ways to enhance the student learning experience.
But McDermott, an associate professor of clinical at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, didn’t fly to Los Angeles for the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) solely to learn about the latest innovations and best practices in health care simulation. McDermott was among the S.H.A.R.E ™ faculty invited to give industry-leading and -shaping presentations at the event.
Since 2016 McDermott has been on the Standards Committee for the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), a committee established by INACSL to provide evidence-based guidelines for best simulation practices in healthcare.
In addition to presenting two sessions at January’s IMSH event with her fellow committee members—“2021 Update to INACSL Healthcare Simulation Standards” and “Using Standards in Healthcare Simulation: A Symposium”—McDermott provided key insights on a topic newly highlighted in the Standards: Prebriefing.
McDermott is noted for developing a popular prebriefing model called “Know: Do: Teach.” Her recent publication in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, documenting her model’s evolution, was highlighted at IMSH 2022 as a 2020-21 article of influence.
“Prebriefing is my life’s work,” explains McDermott, lead author of INACSL’s new prebriefing standard of best practice. “Conference attendees and our peers were so happy to discuss the new standards with us. Connecting in person and sharing this work was extremely fulfilling for me as a simulation educator.”
Prebriefing is a process that involves preparation and briefing activities prior to the start of the simulation-based experience, ensuring that simulation learners are prepared for the educational content and aware of the ground rules for the simulation. Prior to the development of this standard, the preparation phase of prebriefing was part of the INACSL Standards of Best PracticeSM: Simulation Design and remains a crucial component of simulation design, another standards subcommittee on which McDermott serves.
Also appearing at IMSH 2022 was SONHS Assistant Professor of Clinical Greta Mitsova Vladinov, DNP, CRNA, CHSE, APRN; the interim director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program was on a panel titled “SSH Anesthesia Section Presents: Innovation in Anesthesia Simulation” and gave a presentation on “Extended Reality in Curricula: Setbacks and Successes.”
Like McDermott, Vladinov has been studying ways to advance simulation education for health care and, in turn, improve patient safety. Over the past couple of years, Vladinov has been working with her S.H.A.R.E.™ colleagues and student registered nurse anesthetists on launching mixed-reality simulations such as “Escape OR” and “Airway Fire.”
IMSH 2022 took place from January 15 to 19 in person and via a virtual offering called “IMSH Delivers!” The Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH, the accrediting body for S.H.A.R.E.™), hosts the event. For more information on The Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice (HSSOBP™), visit https://www.inacsl.org/healthcare-simulation-standards.
