Vision and future

WiSER's mission statement

The vision and future of WiSER:

Contributing to a shared learning culture, where safe learning environments, quality improvement science and human factors support patient safety.

A message from our Clinical Director, Dr Ratna Makker:

WiSER has grown exponentially over the little time since it was founded. We have acquired resources, developed our faculty, created the Associate Simulation Fellowship programme, submitted work for peer review and successfully integrated the Human Factors programme under the WiSER umbrella.

Firstly, as the Clinical Director of WISER, I am pleased to be accredited with ASPiH and we await further accreditation of individuals and of courses.

Now, after this incredible journey, what destination shall we insert in the GPS?

To decide where we are headed, we need to explore the forces shaping the future of simulation.

There are over a billion PCs on the internet, there is ubiquitous broadband, VR, and now 5G! William Gibson’s “shared hallucination” as a description of cyberspace is ringing true! As the spectrum of application of simulation widens, we need to look at the shift in both form and function of simulation-based education.

Simulation is now integrated in many facets of organisational work and after 16 years in simulation-based education, lines between simulation and reality are beginning to blur. As the cost of simulation-based education reduces, the challenges are having adequate human resources. Learner engagement and immersion are no longer a barrier. Simulation has bred a new language with terms such as basic assumption, fidelity, pre briefing, reflection and debriefing becoming common parlance.

It is an exciting time to be engaged in simulation. The COVID pandemic has compelled us to envision novel methods of delivering simulation as an educational modality and this has been an opportunity to pave the future of online delivery of modules.

A final caution is that like every tool, simulation can be misused and it is imperative to maintain high standards and a tight overview of the facilitation techniques to ensure learning outcomes are achieved.