SimCast

In this episode of SimCast, we welcome Mandy Wilford from the University of Staffordshire to explore building a culture of simulation across higher education. Drawing on her experience in nursing, NHS education and the commercial sector, Mandy shares how collaboration, leadership support and structured staff development have supported simulation across healthcare and policing. We discuss preparing learners for simulation, developing facilitators and adapting debriefing approaches to different professional contexts.
The conversation also explores authenticity, the language of fidelity and the importance of involving technologists in simulation design. Mandy shares examples of students designing, facilitating and debriefing their own scenarios, revealing learning needs and challenging assumptions about their priorities. Whether you teach, support simulation delivery or lead educational change, this episode offers practical ideas for developing your colleagues, strengthening student partnership and building support within your institution.
#SimCast #Simulaiton #Podcast #HigherEducation #ClinicalSimulation

In this episode of SimCast, Tony Jermy and Lawrence Hill welcome Helen Jarratt and Annie Constant from MPFT to explore organisational readiness for simulation-based learning. They trace the development of an early idea into a dedicated simulation suite, explaining how workforce engagement, leadership support and persistence shaped provision across a large, geographically dispersed community trust.
The discussion covers lessons from poorly attended sessions, the move towards bespoke support for clinical teams and the use of simulation within recruitment. Helen and Annie explain how SCORS provided an honest baseline, informed practical improvements and demonstrated progress in organisational readiness. They also explore faculty development, quality assurance, investment in staff and future plans for satellite facilities, streamed learning and simulation-informed career pathways.
#SimCast #podcast #simulation #clinicalsimulation #highereducation

Recorded live at the Maudsley Learning Mental Health Simulation Conference, this special SimCast panel brings together speakers and faculty to reflect on some of the major issues shaping mental health simulation. Tony and Lawrence are joined by Liz, Nikki, James and Camilla to explore what prevents effective simulation from producing sustained change in healthcare systems, and how transformative simulation might move beyond education to influence systems, services and patient care.
The discussion examines the opportunities and risks associated with AI and technology-enhanced simulation, the importance of lived experience and inclusive design, and the role of multi-agency working in creating more representative learning. The panel also considers psychological safety in challenging mental health scenarios, how far simulation should stretch participants, and what they have taken away from two days of shared learning. The episode closes with a reminder that effective simulation does not depend on expensive facilities, and that creativity, collaboration and thoughtful design remain central to meaningful simulation practice.
#SimCast #MaudsleyLearning #Simulation #MentalHealth #HigherEducation #ClinicalSimulaiton #podcast

What does the future of healthcare simulation look like, and are we thinking big enough about what simulation can actually achieve?
In this episode of SimCast, Lawrence Hill and Tony Jermy are joined by Professor Sharon Weldon, President of the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH), to explore the rapidly evolving future of simulation. Sharon reflects on her remarkable journey into healthcare and simulation before challenging us to think beyond simulation as purely an educational technique. The conversation explores transformative simulation, intentional simulation design, the role of theory, systems improvement, artificial intelligence and the potential for simulation to help us understand and change complex healthcare systems.
We also discuss the professionalisation of simulation practice, ASPiH’s developing professional development framework, the importance of standards and governance, and the challenge of maintaining an inclusive simulation community while establishing a stronger professional voice nationally and internationally. Looking ahead, Sharon argues that simulation could become increasingly embedded within healthcare and education, not simply as something clinicians participate in, but as a tool they routinely use to explore, test, redesign and improve the systems in which they work.
Episode Links:
Transformative Sumlation
https://aspih.org.uk/resources/transformative-simulation/
ASPiH Best Practice and Professional Standards
https://aspih.org.uk/professional-practice/aspih-standards/
#Simulaiton #SimCast #Podcast #ClinicalSimulation #highereducation

In this episode of SimCast, Tony and Lawrence visit MKC Training at the Historic Dockyard Chatham to explore BlueRoom, an advanced mixed reality platform being used to create highly immersive simulation experiences. Joined by defence medical lead Keith Mills, they examine how mixed reality can place learners inside complex clinical and operational environments while still allowing them to interact with real equipment, patients and mannequins. They also explore how biometric monitoring, eye tracking and performance data could provide new ways of understanding decision-making, stress, situational awareness and human performance during simulation.
After experiencing the technology first-hand, the discussion moves beyond the initial appeal of immersive technology to consider its educational value. How realistic should simulation become? What happens when immersion is so powerful that learners need time before they are ready to debrief? And could mixed reality help bridge the gap between classroom learning and difficult-to-access environments such as helicopters, ambulances, field hospitals and other high-risk settings? The episode considers the opportunities, limitations, research potential and psychological safety implications of mixed reality, while returning to a fundamental principle: technology only adds value when it enhances good simulation design, facilitation and debriefing.
#SimCast #Podcast #Simulation #HigherEducation #highereducation