A grid of eight people

In early January, thousands gathered for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare's International Meeting (IMSH) for five days or presentations, poster sessions, product demonstrations, and networking in Orlando, Fl. Billed as the "world's premier healthcare simulation education learning event," IMSH also included 11 simulation faculty member presenters from UVA Schools of Nursing and Medicine, who, across seven presentations, showcased their work at the award-winning, INACSL-endorsed Mary Morton Parsons Simulation Learning Center.

Ackard and his team have a habit of hitting the road. And they've got a wealth of expertise to share, given that last academic year, students at the School earned more than 30,000 hours over a whopping 645 simulation lab events, including three new rich and varied simulations focused on "difficult conversations at the end of life" (for BSN, ABSN, and CNL students), "prioritization and delegation" (for BSN and CNL students in their final year of schooling), and "pre-eclampsia and maternal code," deployed across multiple undergraduate and graduate programs.

Louise Fleming

"Not every nursing school has simulation faculty who are as creative, driven, enterprising, and fun as ours. Their work and energy is testament to why students who graduate from UVA's programs are so well-prepared for and confident in their skills. There's nothing this group can't do."

Associate dean Louise Fleming

IMSH presenters included Ackard as well as Bradley Accipiter, Vaia Abatzis, Gina DeGennaro, Cindi Dellett, Jennifer Gaines, Andrew Guertler, Samantha Hudgins, Keith Littlewood, Jaclyn McCann, James Nisley, and Tanya Thomas:

  • [POSTER] Correlation between NASA-TLX and Theta/Alpha Ratios Derived from Consumer EEG Device (Dellett, Abatzis, Littlewood, with McCann)
  • [PODIUM] Incorporation of Competency-Based Education into an Existing Oncology Nursing Elective Course (Hudgins, with DeGennaro, Thomas, Accipiter, Ackard)
  • [POSTER] Use of Students as Embedded Participants in Disaster Preparedness Scenarios (Hudgins, with Gaines)
  • [PODIUM] Promoting Early Recognition of Alcohol Withdrawal (Nisley)
  • [PODIUM] Using ChatGPT to Create 8 Patients for a Complex Simulation (Nisley, with Abatzis, Littlewood)
  • [PODIUM] Reaching Forward as One: The Vision, Strategies, and Lessons of Combining Nursing and Medical School Simulation Centers (Ackard, Abatzis, Littlewood, with Guertler )
  • [POSTER] Utilizing a Popular Cloud-Based Project Management Software as an Ad-Hoc Solution for Simulation Operations Content Management and Data Acquisition (Ackard, Dellett, Hudgins, with Guertler,)

Healthcare simulation is a booming industry, and is expected to hit nearly $5 billion in sales by 2028. At the School, it's also growing in leaps and bounds, due, at least in part, to a squeeze on clinical space and mentor-preceptors, which has created opportunities to build and strengthen the Mary Morton Parsons Simulation Learning Center.

$5 billion

Healthcare simulation is a booming industry, and is expected to hit nearly $5 billion in sales by 2028

The sim lab is home to a vibrant array of new simulations, and, thanks to a consolidation of resources with the School of Medicine, has expanded access to technology and added even more learning spaces to its 20,000 square-foot footprint.

In the last six months, four new simulation faculty have been hired (with two more positions to be filled) who run a growing array of simulations and practice scenarios for both pre- and post-licensure students, part of Ackard’s strategy to offer a broader array of practice environments that count toward students’ required clinical hours of learning.

"Not every nursing school has simulation faculty who are as creative, driven, enterprising, and fun as ours," said Louise Fleming, associate dean for academic operations. Their work and energy is testament to why students who graduate from UVA's programs are so well-prepared for and confident in their skills. There's nothing this group can't do."

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