A Crisis and an Opportunity
- Currently, healthcare simulation technicians, including nurses, paramedics, and respiratory therapists, are shifting from their primary roles, intensifying strain on the already understaffed healthcare system. This migration, fueled by the increasing complexity of digital technologies in the simulation market, creates a dual crisis of individual burnout and system strain.
- To address this challenge, many simulation facilities are seeking personnel with diverse backgrounds in health sciences, computer engineering, and related fields to fulfill evolving technician roles. However, these individuals often enter the job market with varying levels of understanding of the role, leading to inefficiency and on-the-job learning. Consequently, this results in increased costs, suboptimal educational outcomes, and potentially negative patient outcomes.
- Our STEPS program aims to bridge these gaps by training undergraduate health sciences students as simulation technicians, fostering collaborative simulation delivery teams to enhance capacity and alleviate brain drain challenges. The program is founded on three core pillars—Simulation Technologies, Educational Principles, and Safety—forming the basis of an innovative curriculum rooted in infusion-based curricular design and competency-based education.
- The program, offered as a 3-year minor within the BHSc degree, begins in the second year and comprises core courses alongside a novel micro-learning and competency-based curriculum. This includes elective courses, course components, micro-credentials, and experiential learning opportunities.
- STEPS is designed to formally equip health sciences students with simulation practice and scholarship, enabling them to pursue one of two professional trajectories: Simulation Technicians or Simulation Scholars.