Eight nursing faculty complete STEPS Simulation Certification Program
During the summer, eight West Virginia University School of Nursing faculty members completed the STEPS Simulation Certification Program.
The certification, offered by the WVU David and Jo Ann Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety (STEPS), is designed for instructors with interest in quality teaching with simulation.
Nursing faculty who completed the certification include: Kim Adams, Gina Greathouse, Amanda Kitzmiller, Colleen Kroll, Kelly Lemon, Amy Miner, Amanda Nicola and Kendall Tuttle, along with Courtney Riley, Assistant to Nursing Simulation.
During their program, the attendees learned more about applied simulation modalities, components of simulation, interprofessional education, learning theory for simulation, learning objectives and scenario development.
Participants engaged in an objectives and scenario workshop, as well as run a simulation and debriefing. Simulation instructors also provided feedback and reflection.
“My biggest takeaway from this training was how important objectives are,” Lemon said. “I admit that I always looked at the objective as an afterthought. This helped me frame that objectives are really the driving force of the entire simulation. You make the simulation fit your objectives (not the other way around!).”
Lemon said this learning opportunity helped her reconsider how she is developing all her other assignments and clinical teaching.
“During the certification program, we got together in a group and developed our own simulation,” Lemon said. “It was so helpful for me to reframe what I thought I knew about simulation development. Seeing all the pieces come together, and having some wonderful nursing student volunteers to participate and give feedback was invaluable.”
She encourages other nursing faculty to participate when the opportunity arises.
Kitzmiller agreed that the course was a wonderful development opportunity. She said the training helped to hone her skills from simulation development through implementation and debriefing.
“My biggest takeaway from the certification was the importance of excellent planning and laying the groundwork ahead of time to make the simulation successful when it is implemented,” Kitzmiller said. “This learning opportunity will impact my teaching as I develop and implement new simulations. I think the debriefing exercise will also help me in debriefing with my students after they have new experiences in the clinical setting.”
The speakers, presenters and instructors for the course include Ashleigh Barrickman, Dorian Williams, Gina Baugh, Christopher Kiefer, Joseph D. Lynch, Daniel Summers, Kathryn Hoffman, Ryan Wamsley, Russell “Rusty” Doerr, Jason Craig, Adam Hoffman and William Tullock.
Lee Ann Miller, Assistant Director of Education at STEPS, and Andrea Bailey, Director of Nursing Simulation at STEPS, helped organize the summer session specifically for nursing.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Director of Communications and Marketing
WVU School of Nursing
304-923-3591; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu