Education and training
Our mission
To perform world-class simulation-based education and research at RCSI and beyond to meet the needs of our future healthcare professionals and their patients.RCSI SIM is designed to mirror a real hospital environment. This provides ideal learning conditions for both supervised and independent practice and rehearsal to enable skills retention. We also focus on the development of other key skills such as dynamic decision-making, teamwork, communication and professionalism, which are increasingly important in terms of character development, building resilience and leadership to handle any situation with confidence and competence.
The state-of-the-art simulation facilities at RCSI enable students and postgraduate surgical trainees to undertake deliberate practice of clinical skills in a safe learning environment to achieve the highest standards before they work directly with patients. It is designed to help learners acquire and improve on their skills – technology-enhanced simulation training is associated with improved outcomes in patient care.
Moreover, creating high-risk or rare procedures in a simulated setting allows for education and training where it may not be feasible to gain experience through direct patient care. Simulation can also be used for high-stakes training, such as emergency response or disaster preparedness.
Our vision
To design, implement and evaluate highest quality simulation-based education and research to ensure transformative education for the RCSI community and those who benefit from our work, including learners and staff and the patients they serve.
"Having spent over 25 years as an airline pilot instructor and examiner, I have witnessed the power of simulation to change the culture of an industry. I have also been very fortunate to spend time in RCSI as a simulation scholar. The RCSI facility is cutting-edge. The RCSI SIM personnel are all dedicated professionals who understand the importance of simulation as a means to impart the most up-to-date, evidence-based practice within medicine and surgery.
"The team is led by a growth minded, solution focused director and manager who maintain high-quality, evidence-based teaching standards within a safe learning environment. As a medical student, simulation-based education has facilitated the deep learning of complex subjects such as obstetrics, paediatrics, trauma and medical emergencies within small group tutorial settings which embrace active learning principles."
Ruth Little, RCSI Undergraduate Medicine student
Healthcare practice requires a lifelong commitment to learning and we support the continuum of healthcare education and training with patient welfare and safety always as the focal point. At RCSI, students and trainees have the opportunity to gain the skills and competencies necessary to prepare them for working in real-life clinical settings as a surgeon, medical doctor, pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurse, midwife or physician associate.
The goal is to recreate realistic clinical scenarios that are difficult to replicate in real-world settings, and to systematically study and debrief the impact of different interventions on patient outcomes.
The COVID-19 crisis has reformed the clinical training landscape and simulation is now an increasingly essential component of healthcare education. Healthcare education providers, such as RCSI, had to adapt to using and enhancing more simulation-based training as hospitals were off limits to students. In response to the pandemic, RCSI SIM has worked collaboratively with teams across the RCSI community and within the national health service to develop supportive training content, enhance teaching and deliver research focused simulation scenarios. Our simulation education will continue to grow and expand into the future.
A sample of our Surgical Skills Catalogue is available below. For the full catalogue, please contact us.