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Robert Armstrong shares an article that demonstrates how modeling and simulation tools can be used in nursing.

There are a number of professional societies that impact both modeling and simulation (M&S) professionals and the healthcare M&S industry as a whole. The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning (INACSL) serves the largest practitioner community – Nursing.

There are approximately four million nurses in the U.S., and more than 20 million worldwide.M&S tools are used extensively throughout nursing education. In fact, in many U.S. states, simulation is accepted in lieu of live clinical experiences – clinical experiences which are critical (and required) to attain a nursing degree. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides a document that tracks, at a state level, how much of the live clinical experience can be replaced with simulation based experiences.

The INACSL has been helpful by focusing attention on simulation in the nursing community for many years. With over 1,700 members worldwide, INACSL is an organization advancing the science of healthcare simulation.

Healthcare simulation started in the 1950s with the creation of Resusci Annie (Rescue Anne or CPR Annie) by Peter Safar and Asmund Laerdal. Simulation has evolved since the 1950s with recent research, including the National State Boards of Nurses’ (NSBN) landmark Simulation Study, indicating the effectiveness of simulation in healthcare education.

Backed by research, and with new technological advancements every day, healthcare simulation is cemented as an important tool in educating healthcare providers. Through the efforts of expert members and affiliate organizations, INACSL has continued to transform practice to improve patient safety through excellence in healthcare simulation since 2003.

INACSL hosts an annual conference and periodic workshops, and publishes the clinical Simulation in Nursing Journal; they do not accredit programs or institutions. They also provide the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice which help all healthcare practitioners design, build, execute, and assess simulation based learning activities of the highest quality.

For those who are interested in engaging the healthcare M&S market, reading the Journal, and attending their annual conference and its various other meetings are great ways to become exposed to the current and future mechanisms employed to impart and improve practitioner education and training, and ultimately to improve patient outcomes.

Key points include:

• M & S tools usage

• When healthcare simulation began

• The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning (INACSL) conference

Read the full article, The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning, on MedicalModSim.com.