Simulation Operations

SimOps Professional Program

Simulation operations, from first shift to CHSOS

21 lessonsAbout 60 hoursPass mark 70%Certificate on completion

Led by Ferooz Sekandarpoor, Program Director, SimEd Academy

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About this course

A 12-week professional program for the people who run simulation: technology, rooms, events, safety, standards, and career. Short video lessons, podcasts, practice tasks, games, a live operator console, and scenario-based exams.

Who it is for: Simulation operations specialists, technicians, coordinators, center managers and directors, skills lab and life support staff, and faculty assigned to simulation centers.

By the end you can

  • Run a simulation event from first request to final report, on time and without surprises.
  • Set up, operate, troubleshoot, and maintain manikins, task trainers, AV, and IT systems.
  • Turn an educator’s scenario into a working room, a programmed patient, and a clean recording.
  • Lead your team through busy days, failures, and hard conversations.
  • Judge new technology by cost per learner hour, and build low-cost solutions when they fit.
  • Prepare for the CHSOS exam with a clear plan for your next five years.
  • Measure your center against international standards, then close the gaps.

Lessons

Module 1: Foundations and Standards

0/21 done

Weeks 1 to 2, online. What simulation is, the words the field uses, why it works, your role, and the standards your center is measured against.

  1. Lesson 1.1: What Simulation IsVideo · 1 min
  2. Lesson 1.2: The Language of SimulationVideo · 2 min
  3. Lesson 1.3: Why Simulation WorksVideo · 2 min
  4. Lesson 1.4: The Operations SpecialistVideo · 2 min
  5. Lesson 1.5: Anatomy of a Simulation EventVideo · 1 min
  6. SimOps Rounds EP 01: A Technique, Not a TechnologyPodcast · 3 min
  7. Practice: Map Your CenterPractice · 45 min
  8. Game: Term MatchGame · 10 min
  9. Week 1 Knowledge CheckQuiz · 10 min
  10. Lesson 2.1: Two Rulebooks: INACSL and SSHVideo · 1 min
  11. Lesson 2.2: The Operations Standard, Criterion by CriterionVideo · 2 min
  12. Lesson 2.3: Safety in the Sim LabVideo · 2 min
  13. Lesson 2.4: Policies and Procedures People UseVideo · 1 min
  14. Lesson 2.5: Gap Analysis in Four StepsVideo · 1 min
  15. SimOps Rounds EP 02: Standards on a Tuesday MorningPodcast · 2 min
  16. Practice: Operations Gap ChecklistPractice · 1 h
  17. Game: A Day at the CenterGame · 10 min
  18. Week 2 Knowledge CheckQuiz · 10 min
  19. Project 1: Operations Gap AnalysisPractice · 1 h 30 min
  20. Scenario: Anaphylaxis in the EDScenario · 10 min
  21. Module 1 ExamQuiz · 20 min

Module 2: Running the Center

Coming soon

Weeks 3 to 7, online. Rooms and modalities, AV and IT, equipment setup, teamwork, and safety systems.

Module 3: Innovation Lab

Coming soon

Week 8, online. AI, new technology, low-cost trainers, 3D printing, and where the field is going.

Module 4: From Scenario to Session

Coming soon

Weeks 9 to 10, online. Turning a written scenario into a running session.

Module 5: Your Career in Simulation

Coming soon

Week 11, online. Growing your career, your portfolio, and certification options.

Module 6: Skills Week and Certification

Coming soon

Week 12, in person. Hands-on skills stations and the final assessment.

Coming next

Week 3

Rooms, Modalities, and Matching Them

  • Matching modality to objective
  • Manikin families from low to high technology
  • Simulated patients and the ASPE Standards of Best Practice
  • Screen-based, VR, and AR simulation
  • Room types: sim suite, control room, debrief room, skills lab
Week 4

AV, IT, and the Signal Path

  • Signal flow: camera to recorder to debrief screen
  • Network basics: IP, VLAN, PoE, Wi-Fi
  • Audio: microphones, gain, feedback control
  • Recording systems, storage, and retention
  • Troubleshooting with the half-split method
Week 5

Build, Program, Run

  • Implementation needs analysis
  • The generic setup checklist
  • Patient monitor and hemodynamic control
  • Running simulators: preprogrammed vs on-the-fly
  • Task trainer specs, preparation, and care
Week 6

Leading the Team and Fixing Problems

  • Leadership vs management
  • TeamSTEPPS tools for sim teams
  • Emotional and social intelligence at work
  • Root cause analysis: 5 Whys and fishbone
  • Hard conversations with faculty
Week 7

Safety, In Situ, and Realism

  • Human factors and systems integration
  • In situ simulation for latent safety threats
  • Building a policy and procedure library
  • Writing a simulation user guide
  • Moulage and realism enhancement
Week 8

AI, XR, 3D Printing, and Low-Cost Builds

  • AI in simulation operations
  • Evaluating new technology: cost per learner hour
  • Low-cost task trainers
  • 3D printing workflow: design, slice, print, test
  • Future trends: XR, digital twins, remote simulation