A fourth medical simulation centre has opened in Interior Health (IH) at Penticton Regional Hospital (PRH) in partnership with the University of British Columbia Southern Medical Program.
“It’s welcome news this fourth simulation centre will enhance patient care across the Interior region by providing health-care professionals and students with the opportunity to learn from realistic, safe medical scenarios,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
Simulation programs are designed to create medical scenarios providing health-care professionals and students with the most realistic experience for learning and refining procedures, patient care and team dynamics while in a safe environment. Simulation centres allow inter-professional teams to work together to practice, ideally in a similar environment with their own equipment, while also utilizing manikins, actors and more to help re-create major incidents.
“Simulation exercises create an environment for research to enhance the quality of our patient care and safety. Through simulation, we want to promote collaboration and learning so that participants are truly achieving excellence in health-care delivery,” said Dr. Jared Baylis, medical director for the Interior Health simulation program and medical education simulation lead for the Southern Medical Program. “Exercises can help strengthen skills and team communication, prompt reviews of specific protocols and may encourage teams to make changes to optimize workflow, space design and much more.”
In October 2022, the IH/UBC Simulation Program became the only program in B.C. to be accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The program also offers many sessions accredited by the UBC Continuous Professional Development program, earning Continuous Medical Education credits for practising physicians and medical staff.
The simulation program started in 2009 in the Kootenays with rural physician Dr. Jeff Plant and clinical nurse educator Eve Burkart to support their rural colleagues in providing best-practice quality care to patients experiencing high-risk, low-frequency events such as cardiac arrest or trauma. Although an emerging educational tool at the time, the program quickly gained traction and was mobilized to support rural emergency departments throughout the IH network.
“It’s been fantastic to see this program grow from its beginnings in the Kootenay region to where we are now,” said Eve Burkart, clinical practice nurse educator with Interior Health. “Simulation greatly benefits the medical staff, students and the teams they work with as they gain exposure to a range of patient events that they might not see regularly during residencies and rotations. This team focus was, and continues to be, particularly important in rural areas. Simulation provides specific experiences and training to strengthen the provision of evidence-based care without any risk to a patient.”
In addition to the new Penticton centre, Interior Health has the Pritchard Simulation Centre in Kelowna, the Rae Fawcett Simulation Centre in Kamloops, the Kootenay Boundary Simulation Program in Trail, and the IH Rural Mobile Simulation Program that travels to 29 rural and regional sites.
“Simulation provides essential training that can really improve patient quality and safety. It's highly beneficial to learn and practice with real-life scenarios that includes all team members,” said Dr. Devin Harris, executive medical director, quality and patient safety, Interior Health. “Clinicians can learn and gain confidence and expertise in a supportive environment. This preparation will pay dividends for when an event does occur and will lead to healthier communities in the Interior.”
Interior Health, UBC Faculty of Medicine, and UBC Okanagan School of Nursing have embarked on this partnership to implement, operationalize and provide simulation education throughout the Interior Health region. The joint collaborative nature of the program allows the development of comprehensive patient curriculum for the benefit of staff, students and clinical practitioners who are located and practice within the geographic boundaries of Interior Health.
