CAE Healthcare today announced a collaborative effort with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences to advance healthcare education, technology and research through simulation. The healthcare training company also designated the RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research (RCSI SIM) a certified Centre of Excellence, the first of its kind in Europe.

With CAE Healthcare as a leading collaborative partner, RCSI will continue to expand its medical simulation program as part of the two organisations' shared commitment to advance healthcare simulation globally to improve training outcomes and patient safety. This partnership gives RCSI trainees, students and partners access to CAE healthcare simulation technology, some of the most advanced in the world.

RCSI's award-winning simulation centre is one of Europe's most modern simulation facilities and contains many elements of a real hospital setting, including inpatient rooms, outpatient clinical settings, a birthing suite and a full operating theatre, as well as an emergency and trauma facility. Students participate in repeatable structured practice and debriefings to acquire skills in a variety of domains in safe learning environments, developing key skills before engaging with real patients in hospital settings.

RCSI SIM incorporates the National Surgical and Clinical Skills Centre, where professionals and trainees can develop essential skills and collaborative approaches to team-based care before working with real patients.

"This collaboration reinforces the commitment we share with RCSI SIM to develop new, evidence-based practices and training technologies for tomorrow's clinicians," said Heidi Wood, President of CAE Healthcare. "As the first CAE Centre of Excellence in Europe, RCSI SIM has a valuable role in joining with us to advocate for simulation-based education and its ability to advance healthcare and ensure patient safety."

Professor Walter Eppich, RCSI Chair of Simulation, said: "We are proud to have RCSI SIM recognised by CAE as a Centre of Excellence, partnering with CAE Healthcare to advance experiential simulation-based education in healthcare. The world-leading facilities at RCSI SIM embody an institutional commitment to healthcare simulation, preparing learners to provide outstanding and compassionate patient care. Through collaborative research with CAE Healthcare, we look forward to improving patient safety and outcomes through healthcare simulation, education and applied research."

RCSI SIM uses an array of highly immersive simulation modalities, including high-fidelity patient simulators that represent complex critical illness and enable integration of team and procedural skill training in a variety of fields: emergency medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, anesthesia, nursing and other clinical specialties. An integrated audiovisual and centre management system connects RCSI SIM's simulation-based learning environments with performance assessment tools. This system, CAE LearningSpace, enables recording of simulation activities, including live streaming of training, and affords the opportunity for video review and reflection on individual and team performance. This technology also supports peer learning and self-directed learning.