MSMS Student Elizabeth Horsley Earns Simulation Award

Elizabeth Horsley, part of the inaugural group of students in the Drexel University Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation program, has been awarded the SIM-one 2015 Sim Citizenship Award.  Elizabeth is a simulation educator at Brock University's Nursing Program in Ontario, Canada.

The SIM Citizenship Award recognizes Ontario simulationists who have made important contributions in the healthcare simulation field. It honors those who have made an outstanding impact on education, teaching, creative professional activities, and other endeavors. The award praises collaborative and dedicated simulationists who exceed the expectations of their role in promoting simulation in their communities. 

We are very proud of Elizabeth and look forward to following her future contributions to the scholarship of simulation education!

Congratulating the 2015 SIM Citizenship Award recipients (Left to right: Judy Bornais, University of Windsor; Steven Lester (on behalf of David Starmer), CMCC; Tony Mallette, Lambton College; Elizabeth Horsley, Brock University; and Bruce Ballon, SIM-one)
photo: courtesy of SIM-one

The Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation (MSMS) program is a unique, part-time, two-year program that is the first of its kind to offer advanced training in simulation teaching, curriculum design, and the fundamentals of simulation research in an interprofessional setting. This degree program will prepare healthcare professions to further their academic career in healthcare simulation via quality, effective, simulation-based medical education, research, management, leadership and teamwork skills.To learn more about the MSMS Program at Drexel University visit our website: www.drexelmed.edu/mssim

Drexel University’s MS in Medical & Healthcare Simulation Program Welcomes the Next Interprofessional Cohort

As the inaugural group of the Master of Science in Medical & Healthcare Simulation (MSMS) program enters their second year of classes, Drexel welcomes their second cohort of ten students into the program.

The new class hails from a diverse interprofessional background, including registered nurses, physicians, a physician assistant, oral surgical assistant and an anesthesia technician.  Having such a dynamic group will surely lead to interesting discussions revolving around trends in medical & healthcare simulation in all fields.

The class has already had the opportunity to meet each other in a virtual setting.  After using a VoiceThread® introduction to meet each other and the faculty, the students had a virtual synchronous session to say hello and familiarize themselves with the online course modalities.  While many of the students come from all over the United States and Puerto Rico, two students, who are both from Wisconsin, realized they were only a couple hours away from each other. 

“Its wonderful to see the students are already beginning to bond and exchange stories about their involvement in simulation. We are looking forward to meeting our new class in person for our first practicum week in October and are so excited to expand the curriculum for our inaugural class.” said Sharon Griswold-Theodorson, MD, Director of the MSMS program. 

Dr. William McGaghie Visits Drexel University to Speak with MSMS students

The Master of Science in Medical and Healthcare Simulation (MSMS) program was fortunate to have Dr. William McGaghie visit Drexel University on March 26th to participate in a synchronous web session highlighting Simulation Based Mastery Learning.  The MSMS students had the opportunity to review content online and prepare questions for Dr. McGaghie during the Assessment Course.  

The session was very well received by all; “I really enjoyed Dr. McGaghie, it is so amazing that we get to speak with all of the simulation ‘powerhouses’ that have advanced this field. He knows the struggles we see yet his optimism is so inspirational” said Susan Coffey Zern, MD, MSMS student and director of the Virtual Education and Simulation Training Center for Christiana Care Health System in Newark, DE.

William C. McGaghie, PhD, directs the Leischner Institute for Medical Research at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He has a PhD in Educational Psychology from Northwestern University and has more than 40 years of teaching, research, and scholarly experience in medical and health professions education.  Dr. McGaghie has held faculty appointments at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 

Dr. McGaghie has published extensively in simulation-based education, health professions education, preventive medicine, and related fields.  He has served as a consultant to a variety of professional organizations including the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Physical Therapy Association, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and to universities and medical schools worldwide.   

Drexel University’s Masters in Medical & Healthcare Simulation is a unique, part-time, primarily online, two-year program that is the first of its kind to offer advanced training in simulation teaching, curriculum design, and the fundamentals of simulation research in an interprofessional setting. The program’s faculty are national and international leaders in medical and healthcare simulation.  This degree program will prepare healthcare professions to further their academic career in healthcare simulation via quality, effective, simulation-based medical education, research, management, leadership and teamwork skills.  For more information about the masters program, please visit www.drexelmed.edu/mssim/

Attend an MSMS Online Information Session 

Drexel will also be hosting live online information sessions about the MSMS program in April and May.  Hosted by faculty and staff from the program, the sessions provide a wealth of information about the program and allow for opportunities to ask questions. Visit bit.ly/mssim to RSVP for an upcoming webinar.

DREXEL WINS SIMWARS AT THE INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR SIMULATION IN HEALTHCARE (IMSH)

Drexel University Emergency Medicine’s Simulation team took first place in the annual SimWars competition at the 2015 International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in New Orleans, LA.

SimWars is an annual event at the five-day conference where various simulation centers from around the world form teams to compete in the challenge.  Drexel’s team consisted of six team members and was led by Sharon Griswold, MD the Program Director for Drexel’s Masters of Science in Medical & Healthcare Simulation (MSMS).

“This was a great showing, ” said Dr. Griswold. “Not only for the EM Simulation team but also spotlights the strength of Drexel’s new Masters in Simulation program”

The teams were tasked with creating a medical simulation case that met specific learning objects designed around the disclosure of a medical error.  For entertainment value they were also asked to include some New Orleans charm into the cases by including items such as a bottle of Death Sauce hot sauce, a Mardi Gras mask, a rubber gator, a toy musical instrument, and the word celebration.  They were asked to complete this task in just two and a half hours and then present it on stage to a large audience who voted to determine the winner. Teams were judged on meeting the learning objectives, entertainment, quality of the healthcare debriefing and overall performance.

This was not Drexel’s first time competing nor was it their first victory.  The team took home a trophy in 2013.  However, the format of the competition was completely different than in years past.  This years’ SimWars was a change of pace.  In the past teams were judged on medical treatment and team communication skills as healthcare providers, this year the competition showcased what a simulation team does on a consistent basis; create, coordinate and debrief simulations for learners.  After the 10 minute simulation there was an intense debriefing of the learners led by Drexel’s Jami Smith, PA-C, John Erbayri, NREMT-P, and Srikala Ponnuru, MD.


“Debriefing can be challenging on a regular basis,” said Erbayri. “Adding in the unfamiliarity of the learners and doing it in front of hundreds of people in the audience was amazing experience.”

The Drexel team was able to construct a simulation with a serious and emotional tone while also utilizing the props to cause a large amount of distractions making a challenging situation for any learner.

With all of the students from the MS in Medical & Healthcare Simulation program in attendance and the SimWars victory there was plenty of buzz about Drexel University and the masters program during the conference.  As a result, next year Drexel may be represented by a MSMS student team at SimWars 2016 at IMSH in San Diego, CA.

The Masters in Medical & Healthcare Simulation at Drexel University, is a unique, part-time, primarily online, two-year program that is the first of its kind to offer advanced training in simulation teaching, curriculum design, and the fundamentals of simulation research in an interprofessional setting. This degree program will prepare healthcare professions to further their academic career in healthcare simulation via quality, effective, simulation-based medical education, research, management, leadership and teamwork skills.  For more information about the masters program, please visit www.drexelmed.edu/mssim/