UIC Nursing leads simulation workshop in the Caribbean
Vanderzwan leads simulation in the Bahamas
As director of UIC Nursing’s Schwartz Simulation Lab, Katie Vanderzwan, DNP ’17, MSN ’06, works daily with manikins, but it was a “first” for her when she took one in her carry-on bag to the Caribbean last month.
She was traveling to the city of Nassau in The Bahamas to lead a three-day simulation workshop in conjunction with the Caribbean Nurses Organization (CNO). Nearly 120 nurse educators attended the workshop virtually or in person at the Doctors Hospital Institute of Learning on the island of New Providence.
Vanderzwan’s carry-on companion was a high-fidelity newborn pediatric manikin, which she could use to demonstrate various nursing simulations to the group of educators.
And although access to high-tech equipment varies greatly among Caribbean nursing schools, Vanderzwan says the latest tech is not necessary to facilitate effective simulations. The goal of the workshop was to train nurse educators in the Caribbean region on Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice™ as set by the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning.
“One of the key takeaways from the training is, whether you’re in a room with fancy sim equipment or a room with low-cost equipment, the important thing is that you’re following the simulation standards of best practice,” she says.
The majority of workshop participants hailed from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with attendees representing 15 countries, including the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Origins of relationship
Vanderzwan says the workshop represents a “critical step towards strengthening nursing education and ultimately the workforce in the Caribbean.”
She adds that the collaboration “supports the World Health Organization’s education policy priority to effectively apply modern pedagogical designs, such as simulation-based education, into educational programs.”
The UIC College of Nursing is designated as the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for International Nursing Development in Primary Care.
This was the second simulation workshop Vanderzwan has led for Caribbean nurse educators. The first was held in Chicago in July 2024, when 11 Caribbean nurse faculty spent five days in the M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning & Simulation Lab.
The relationship was sparked when CNO president Paulette Cash came to UIC Nursing two years ago for a conference on expanding the roles of Caribbean nurses in primary health care.
After touring the Schwartz Lab, Cash reached out to Vanderzwan to lead trainings on simulation-based education with Caribbean nurse educators.
Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice™
At the workshop last month, Rohan Jeremiah, PhD, UIC Nursing associate dean for global health, delivered a virtual opening address. He was joined by both Cash and Dr. Shaulene Stanley of the Caribbean Simulation Alliance.
Over the course of the workshop, Vanderzwan reviewed updates to four of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice,™ and focused on a standard related to professional development.
She also conducted six interactive simulations, actively engaging participants by having them act as learners and faculty in the simulation exercises.
“I wanted to make sure that the workshop contained relevant, simulation scenarios involving the four main patient populations that nurses encounter, which are medical-surgical, mother/baby, community health and mental health,” she says.
Vanderzwan reviewed what she calls the “sim sandwich.” This includes providing students with learning objectives during a pre-briefing (one slice of bread), facilitating the simulation and conducting a debriefing (the meat and cheese), and evaluating the simulation at the end (the other slice of bread).
She emphasized that educators can use actors – or standardized patients – to conduct simulations. Chris Karczmar, UIC Nursing’s standardized patient coordinator, participated via Zoom, virtually playing the role of a patient in two telehealth simulations.
Vanderzwan says she created a WhatsApp group for participants to stay in touch and continue a dialogue about simulation education.
“Caribbean colleagues (during the workshop) reported that they are already applying key concepts to their simulations, and connecting simulation theory to practice, which is so gratifying,” Vanderzwan says.