SimCast

In this episode of SimCast, hosts Tony and Lawrence are joined by Jo Sullivan and Kelly Steele to explore neurodiversity in simulation-based education. The conversation examines how simulation design, facilitation and debriefing can unintentionally exclude neurodivergent learners and what educators can do to create more inclusive, psychologically safe learning environments.
Drawing on lived experience, clinical education and higher education practice, this episode unpacks common challenges such as sensory overload, performance anxiety, fidelity overload and rapid-fire debriefing. Jo and Kelly share practical, evidence-informed strategies including sensory-aware simulation design, inclusive assessment practices, alternative debrief contributions and the ethical limits of realism. This is an essential listen for simulation educators, practice educators, resuscitation trainers and anyone designing learning in high-pressure clinical environments.  
Key topics include neurodiversity in healthcare education, inclusive simulation design, reasonable adjustments in assessment, sensory processing, debriefing for neurodivergent learners, psychological safety, ALS and resuscitation training, and inclusive pedagogy in higher education and the NHS.
#SimCast #Podcast #Simulaiton #ClinicalSimulation #HigherEducation

Forgive me father for I have simmed... 🙏🏻
SimCast returns for its first episode of 2026, with Tony and Lawrence back in the studio after the festive break and easing themselves into the new year by opening the simulation confessional. Armed with a shuffled deck of cards and a set of AI-generated prompts, they reflect candidly on the moments simulation educators rarely admit out loud, when technology fails, scenarios unravel, or facilitators quietly panic.
Across the episode, the conversation moves from blaming Wi-Fi for Bluetooth failures, to laughing at unexpected learner behaviour, pressing the wrong button, designing scenarios that are far too complex, and unintentionally reinforcing unsafe practice. Along the way, the discussion surfaces deeper themes around simulation artefacts, cognitive load, professional vulnerability, and the hard-earned lesson that simpler scenarios often lead to richer learning.
This is a reflective and good-humoured episode that foregrounds the human side of simulation-based education. Rather than polished best practice, Confessions of a Simulationist offers honesty, humility, and reassurance that even experienced educators are still learning, adapting, and occasionally confessing their simulation sins.
#SimCast #Podcast #Simulaiton #ClinicalSimulaiton #HigherEducation

SimCast  Debriefing the Delegation Live at HPSN 2025. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?...
What happens when you try to debrief an entire conference?
In this special live episode of SimCast, recorded on stage at the Elevate HPSN Conference 2025, Tony Jermy and Lawrence Hill attempt something ambitious, slightly risky, and very on brand for simulation educators: they turn a plenary session into a live debrief.
The premise is simple. Conferences are full of brilliant concurrent sessions, and no one can attend everything. So rather than delivering a traditional keynote, SimCast invited the delegation to collectively reflect, share insights, and surface learning from across the day.
The reality? Debriefing a large audience, at the end of a long conference day, with roving microphones and varying levels of delegate energy, turns out to be… complex.
This episode captures the messy, human, and very real dynamics of large-group debriefing. At times it is energising, reflective, generous, and insightful. At other moments, it is awkwardly quiet, slightly uncomfortable, and a reminder that even experienced facilitators can inadvertently stretch psychological safety when fatigue sets in.
And that, of course, becomes part of the learning.
Reflections are shaped by delegate contributions from across disciplines, technician and educator perspectives, hallway conversations, and insights from the keynote delivered by Sharon Weldon (President-Elect, ASPiH).
This episode does not present a polished, perfect debrief. Instead, it models something arguably more valuable: authentic reflective practice, including recognition of what worked, what felt uncomfortable, and what facilitators might do differently next time.
If you have ever tried to debrief a large group, facilitated at the end of a long day, or wondered whether silence is reflective or just exhausting, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.
#SimCast #Simulation #Podcast #clinicalsimulation #highereducation

Strap in for one of the most imaginative episodes of SimCast yet. In this Desert-Island-Discs-inspired simulation challenge, Lawrence and Tony face a dramatic scenario: the plane taking them to an international simulation conference has crash-landed. With only two minutes to grab equipment, they must choose three essential pieces of simulation kit to build a functioning sim centre on a desert island… plus one luxury item.
Whether you’re a simulation technologist, clinical educator, paramedic, ODP, or simply love creative approaches to sim-based education, this episode is packed with insights and humour.
#simcast #podcast #simulation #clinicalsimulation #highereducation

In this epsidoe, Tony and Lawrence sit down with Nick Turton, Simulation Centre Manager at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences. Nick oversees a highly evolved simulation ecosystem, including a faculty-wide clinical skills service, a specialist technical workforce, and a 100-strong simulated patient network.
Together, we explore what a Simulation Centre Manager actually does, why the role is vital for universities, and how strategic leadership, governance, and financial management underpin high-quality simulation-based education. From VR labs to mannequin maintenance, student experience to long-term planning, Nick offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how large-scale simulation centres really operate.
If you’ve ever wondered how simulation infrastructure is built, sustained, and future-proofed, this is one to catch.