Preparing clinicians for real-world care through healthcare simulation
Jennifer Calzada, MA, MPH, FSSH, Director of Advanced Medical Simulation, is the lead editor of a new healthcare textbook focused on preparing clinicians for the realities of modern patient care. Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Educating Providers to Care for a Diverse Patient Population is the latest addition to a textbook series designed for healthcare simulation professionals and medical educators.
This edition brings together the expertise of three editors: Calzada of Tulane University School of Medicine; Amy Nakajima, MD, FRCSC, MSc, of the University of Ottawa; and Jamie M. Robertson, PhD, MPH, FSSH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University, along with contributions from 72 chapter authors. The book serves as a practical, hands-on guide for educators seeking to design simulation programs that reflect the full range of patients, settings, and challenges encountered in clinical practice.
The first section provides context for understanding how social, cultural, and systemic factors influence healthcare education and patient experiences. The second section offers concrete strategies for building effective simulation programs, including guidance on staffing, faculty perspectives, manikin selection and moulage, scenario development, and structured debriefing techniques that support learning across varied clinical situations.
The final section features real-world simulation examples from institutions around the globe. These case studies highlight patient care scenarios involving differences in background, ability, belief systems, and lived experiences, as well as situations in which healthcare providers must navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. Together, the editors and contributors aim to ensure that future healthcare professionals are trained to deliver thoughtful, high-quality care to all patients they will serve.
