PG31 Simulation instructors course for beginners: a new, innovative one day course designed to train internal staff in the facilitation of low tech simulation-based education to keep point-of-care simulation programmes running during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond

Introduction At University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, simulation remained a core part of the upskilling of staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. We recognised the importance of continuing simulation-based education throughout the pandemic, but also recognised the challenges needed to be overcome to continue the existing point-of-care simulation programmes. Some of these challenges include reduced capacity within Simulation Services to provide education point-of-care, social distancing restrictions, and foreseeing the usual but possibly even more exacerbated challenges of lack of staff and space for point-of-care simulation during the Winter months. In an effort to try and overcome these foreseeable challenges, we designed a new and innovative one day course for internal staff who had an interest in education and teaching, but no previous experience in delivering simulation. Methods The one day course was delivered to 10 internal staff from a variety of professions including medical, nursing, nurse education and allied health professionals. The day consisted of some didactic teaching on designing, delivering and debriefing low tech mini simulations, a demonstration from the faculty and an orientation to the low tech equipment available to loan. The candidates also had the opportunity to design, deliver and debrief their own scenarios in groups, followed by a ‘debrief of the debrief’ by the faculty. Results The course feedback shows that 100% of candidates rated the content of the course as either ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. The day concluded with the option for candidates to become simulation champions, which 8/10 candidates opted into. The simulation champions will now be the simulation links for their department, and the simulation team will provide a mentorship programme to support the new simulation instructors. The aim of the mentorship programme is to provide any support they may need as they begin to develop simulation-based education in their departments, and provide regular evaluation and peer review to ensure ongoing faculty development and high quality simulation-based education. Discussion and Conclusion The course attendee’s will be facilitating simulation as part of their existing clinical or educational roles, and therefore focussing on low tech simulation which requires minimal preparation, equipment, and the ability to be flexible with the space available, enables them to provide high quality simulation-based education with minimal resources. We signposted the candidates to the more advanced simulation instructing and debriefing courses that are available, to enable them to develop their skills further in the future.