IMSH 2014 Opens in San Francisco

The International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare 2014 opened at the Moscone Convention Center in a balmy San Francisco today. The early bird award, however, goes to the staff of the Health Sciences Simulation Center at Samuel Merritt University across the bay in Oakland. We started our system checks at 0630 in preparation for hosting one of the IMSH 2014 immersive courses,  Utilizing Simulation to Teach Effective Communication Techniques to Multidisciplinary Teams of Providers in the Operating Room. Colleen Lee, RN, directed a star-studded cast of simulation faculty in a perioperative odessey many of us have been witness to. Participants viewed the surgical team in operation from a classroom and subsequently formed small groups that rewrote the script with the goal of achieving a better outcome. The faculty-actors then played out the freshly written scene in our operating suite while the course participants watched live. The course focused on the application of the Team Strategies to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (Team STEPPS). 

Observing from a private conference room, several guests from Japan witnessed the activity. Our team was very pleased to host Yukiko Orll, RN, PhD, Professor of Nursing at the Graduate School of Health Sciences at Aomori University of Health and Welfare, and Yasuhiro Mandai, MD, PhD, GI Surgery at the University Hospital of Medicine and Dentistry, MUSCAT Sim Program Director at Okayama University and Assistant Researcher, Minimally Invasive Therapy Center, University of Hawaii. We discussed variations in debriefing approaches and how cultural dimensions impact simulation-based learning. We planned to continue discussions about collaborating in research to explore debriefing across diverse cultures.

As I pursue doctoral studies in education at the Graduate School of Education & Psychology at Pepperdine University (Los Angeles), I am recruiting prospective participants for my planned dissertation study. The proposed study is currently being defined. I hope to be through the IRB process and into data collecttion by this summer. Read more about my study design below. Send me your email if you are interested in participating in this study. Scan my QRS code below or email kevin.reilly@pepperdine.edu.