I am a Senior Lecturer in Patient Safety and Simulation. I have worked in simulation-based education (SBE) in NHS, academic and commercial settings all over the world.
I qualified as a Registered Nurse (RN) in 1990 and specialized in Cardiac Nursing and became a Ward Sister of a regional cardiac unit. Enjoying teaching, I moved to practice education supporting students with the implementation of a new nursing curriculum at UWE, Bristol.
I fell into simulation by chance after being invited to give a lecture to nurses on chest drains as part of a simulation course. I realised that using technology for the rehearsal and maintenance of technical and non – technical skills was the future. I began to discover what simulation was and started teaching on many simulation courses within a large teaching NHS trust. I then joined Bristol Medical Simulation Centre as a Senior Nurse; the first simulation centre in Europe.
To gain a more global perspective I moved to a commercial simulation company traveling all over the world working with academics and practitioners implementing the pedagogy of SBE in healthcare and helping to develop products for teaching. I worked in partnership with colleagues in aviation, defence, and security. I led the international part of the team for several years before joining Staffordshire University in October 2021.
Professional memberships and activities
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse
- Member of Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH)
- Member of Society for Simulation in Europe (SESAM)
- Member of International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL)
Academic qualifications
- MA in Online and Distance Education, The Open University, Milton Keynes
- Diploma of Higher Education: Cardiac Nursing (254) and Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice (998), University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
- RN (Hons) The Nightingale School of Nursing, London
- NVQ Level 2, Health Promotion, UWE, Bristol
- Current Education Doctorate Post Graduate Researcher with The Open University, Milton Keynes (completed upgrade, data collection phase)
Expertise
- Simulation – Based Education (SBE) for teaching, learning and assessing
- Interactive workshops utilising technology
- Faculty development
- Curriculum integration with SBE
- Online and distance education
Research interests
As part of my education doctorate, I am researching how learning is supported through the scenario phase of simulation – based education from a learner and facilitator perspective.
I am interested in learner-led simulation.
Enterprise and commercial interests
I am currently a member of The Human Performance Council (HPx) at CAE representing Staffordshire University. This is a global group made up of aviation, marine, defence, security, behaviourists, and healthcare creating and implementing solutions for safety globally. This role includes creating and writing materials for handbooks, seminars, and workshops with a focus on safety and culture change.
I am faculty for INACSL Simulation Education Programme (ISEP) and co-lead cohorts for new simulation facilitators globally, this involves mentoring, coaching, and assessing.
Teaching
Undergraduate
- Simulation design
- Simulation facilitation
- Debriefing and feedback
- Patient Safety
Postgraduate
- Training needs analysis
- Teaching and learning strategies for synchronous and asynchronous delivery
- Simulation design
- Simulation facilitation
- Debriefing and feedback
- Patient Safety
- Research methodology
- Curriculum integration
- Assessment strategies using simulation
- CPD courses relating to Simulation e.g., Foundations of Simulation, Effective Debriefing
Publications
INACSL Standards Committee, Bowler, F., Klein, M. & Wilford, A. (2021) Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM Professional Integrity. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 58, 45-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2021.08.014