Full release via Northern Health                                        

The Northern Clinical Simulation Program is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

Since 2011, the program has been instrumental in providing state-of-the-art learning environments where students, nurses, clinicians and other health care professionals work with human patient simulators - interactive training mannequins – and other technologies to hone their skills in different treatment scenarios. 

“The Northern Clinical Simulation Program allows nursing faculty an opportunity to be able to provide learning in specialty areas that students may have less access to, such as pediatrics and neonates, during their clinical practice experiences,” says Caroline Sanders, Acting Chair, UNBC School of Nursing. “The simulation centre provides a safe and supportive place where students can have some fun with their learning while learning new skills , which can lessen their anxiety in clinical practice.”

The program’s milestone is attributed to commitment to the ongoing partnership between Northern Health, the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Northern Medical Program, the College of New Caledonia, and the School of Nursing at the University of Northern British Columbia. 

Over the past ten years, the program has been actively involved in developing and supporting the highest standard of care for Northerners. 

“I am very proud to have worked with the various teams and partners that helped make this milestone possible,” says Michael Lundin, Regional Manager, Clinical Simulation Education. “I look forward to supporting the program’s future developments to improve and support health care in the North.”  

Notable milestones include: 
•    The increase in clinical simulation total training hours from 1,100 to over 4,100 hours annually
•    Providing health care workers with over 20,000 hours of clinical simulation education to date
•    The expansion of support for inter-professional teams to provide educational opportunities at non-centre sites
•    New equipment and technologies that increased realism and safety for patients  

“This program provides an amazing opportunity for inter-professional and team learning,” says Dr. Paul Winwood, Assoc. VP, Div. of Medical Sciences, UNBC and Regional Assoc. Dean, Northern BC, UBC Faculty of Medicine. “The simulation centres also provide a safe learning environment, which is a critical aspect for our learners as they are able to develop their skills and practice across different care scenarios without impacting actual patients.” 

“It’s an impressive ten years with the Northern Clinical Simulation Program, and we have seen excellent learning opportunities coming out of it over those years,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “People living in the North, particularly during the pandemic, have benefitted from the expertise and learning provided through the program, allowing health professionals to practice their skills safely with the human patient simulator. This is an innovation that continues to position B.C. as leaders in the health system.” 

The program can be found in Prince George, Quesnel, Terrace and Fort St. John.