Defining Excellence in Simulation Programs

Defining Excellence in Simulation Programs is an official publication of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), created to support the Society’s mission to encourage excellence in healthcare education, practice and research through the use of simulation.

With nearly 140 expert clinicians and educators contributing, this authoritative guide offers clear-cut definitions, recommendations and best practices for all types of simulation training programs. This is a must-read for healthcare managers, educators and researchers looking to create or manage successful, cost-effective, researched-based simulation programs.

A wide range of topics -- essential to the development and management of successful and cost-effective simulation programs – include: Simulation Standards – best practices and program development; Types of Simulation Programs – infrastructure, framework; Simulators – types, selection and usage; Funding – fundraising, income sources; Management – asset management, policies and procedures; Environmental Design – building a simulation center; technical infrastructure; and Educational Development; Faculty Development; Research, and more, including:

‧ Well-referenced, reader-friendly content is continually available, practical and timely
‧ Standards and recommendations based on actual programs around the world that have proven to be sustainable, cost-effective and successful
‧ Editors and many authors central to SSH’s role in learning and defining best practices for simulation and simulation program management
‧ Interprofessional group of editors and authors offering diverse perspectives, from areas of nursing, medicine, allied health, numerous specialties, and non-clinical fields
including organizational behavior, psychology, statistics, business, and engineering
‧ Terms of Reference – Defines and standardizes simulation terms and concepts for users, learners and developers
‧ Experts Corner – Commentary on particular areas of training, research and program development by simulation experts and founders
‧ Consider This – Text boxes provide practical how-to sections on important related topics >

Janice Palaganas, PhD, RN, NP is a Lecturer for Harvard Medical School and the Associate Director of the Institute for Medical Simulation in Boston, Massachusetts – the most renown program for interprofessional simulation educator training. A recognized leader and expert in the field of simulation, Dr. Palaganas is Principal Faculty for the Center for Medical Simulation, the implementing director of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s (SSH) Accreditation and Certification Program, and Chair of the 2011 Simulation and IPE Symposium.

Dr. Palaganas is also an author for the National League for Nursing (NLN) study for high-stakes assessment using simulation for nursing students and authored and evaluated the challenges of assessing teamwork in students using simulation. She received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing, as well as two Masters degrees as an Adult Nurse Practitioner and Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, from the University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD in Nursing at Loma Linda University exploring healthcare simulation as a platform for interprofessional education.