The first national seminar on medical simulation, entitled Simulation in Irish medical Education: Where are we and Where Should we be Going?, will take place at NUI Galway on Monday, 2 July.

Simulators are radically changing the way that medical professionals are being trained. Simulation provides a method for building expertise in clinical and non-clinical skills, for example team-working and communication, in a safe environment.

The purpose of the seminar is to provide an overview of medical simulation in Ireland in order to make better use of the assets that are available, allow people who are experienced in the use of simulators to share their knowledge; and discuss how simulators can be most effectively used to improve medical education, patient safety and quality of care.

Delegates will hear from speakers from the two main Irish medical simulator centres, ASSET Centre, University College Cork and St James’ Hospital Dublin, and the Australian Centre for Health Innovation in Melbourne. Presenters from the airline industry and specific medical specialties will discuss how simulation is used, how to evaluate the performance of trainees, and the challenges with setting up a simulation training programme. Delegates will also participate in hand-on demonstrations of the latest high-tech simulators by the ASSET centre and Cardiac Services.

Dr Paul O’Connor, Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Business, Social Sciences, and Public Policy at NUI Galway, said: “The use of medical simulators to train healthcare professionals is becoming increasingly common. Simulators provide a safe environment for healthcare professionals to build expertise in both clinical and nontechnical skills such as team-working and communication. The purpose of the seminar is to get Irish medical educators together to share knowledge and expertise in simulation and learn from national and international experts.”

The seminar is sponsored by the Irish Network of Medical Educators (INMED) and the Institute for Business, Social Sciences, and Public Policy at NUI Galway.

For further details contact Dr Paul O’Connor at 091 492897 or paul.oconnor@nuigalway.ie.

-ENDS-