From a medical student pioneering a peer education simulation-based program to President-elect of the European Society for Simulation, our guest Pier Luigi is a force to be reckoned with in the world of clinical education. Prepare for an engaging conversation where he outlines his ambitious vision for the society, focusing on making membership more valuable, advocating for the widespread use of simulation in healthcare, and strengthening relationships between European and national simulation societies.
Expanding on his mission, Pier Luigi shares his goals for the Centro de Simulation (CeSi) of CPS - MT in Lugano . Hear about his plans to foster a stronger sense of community and credibility within society by championing the use of simulation among the healthcare community. He also emphasizes the crucial role of increased regulation on simulation education and safety, which he believes can significantly transform the world of simulation. This enlightening discussion delves into a unique perspective on the role of simulation, and is a must-listen for anyone interested in clinical education and healthcare.
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From a medical student pioneering a peer education simulation-based program to President-elect of the European Society for Simulation, our guest Pier Luigi is a force to be reckoned with in the world of clinical education. Prepare for an engaging conversation where he outlines his ambitious vision for the society, focusing on making membership more valuable, advocating for the widespread use of simulation in healthcare, and strengthening relationships between European and national simulation societies.
Expanding on his mission, Pier Luigi shares his goals for the Centro de Simulation (CeSi) of CPS - MT in Lugano . Hear about his plans to foster a stronger sense of community and credibility within society by championing the use of simulation among the healthcare community. He also emphasizes the crucial role of increased regulation on simulation education and safety, which he believes can significantly transform the world of simulation. This enlightening discussion delves into a unique perspective on the role of simulation, and is a must-listen for anyone interested in clinical education and healthcare.
LinedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingrassiapierluigi/
Simzine: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simzine/
Innovative SimSolutions.
Your turnkey solution provider for medical simulation programs, sim centers & faculty design.
The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of anyone at Innovative Sim Solutions or our sponsors. Thanks to Sim VS for sponsoring this week's episode. Simulation helps develop the mindset of patient safety by allowing learners to practice and fail in a safe environment. Sim VS designs tools that contribute to the development of this mindset. We are excited to release our new 4-pump simulator practice prime's proficiency. To learn more, visit www. simvs. com. Welcome to The Sim Cafe, a podcast produced by the team at Innovative SIM Solutions, edited by Shelly Houser. Join our host, Deb Tauber and co-host Jerrod Jeffries as they sit down with subject matter experts from across the globe to reimagine clinical education and the use of simulation. So pour yourself a cup of relaxation, sit back, tune in and learn something new from The Sim Cafe.
Deb Tauber:Welcome to another episode of The Sim Cafe, and today Jerrod and I are here, and we are here with Pier Luigi. Welcome, and thank you so much for joining us today. Why don't you tell our listeners a little bit about yourself, and then we'll get into our questions?
Pier Luigi:Thank you very much, Deb and Jared, and good morning, good afternoon or good evening to all the listeners. I'm very honored to be in this conversation, so I would like to thank again for the invitation. So a few words about me. So I'm an anesthesiologist by background, but I quit the anesthesia or the clinical work very soon.
Pier Luigi:When I graduated in my residency program as anesthesiologist, I actually moved to emergency medicine and disaster management, mainly so I had the opportunity to work at the international level with the non-government organization or such as WFP or Medicine in Frontier, and of course there the only opportunity to train people was the simulation.
Pier Luigi:So I actually got the experience in designing and delivering mass casualty and simulation at the very beginning, and from then, from there, I developed an interest in a broader spectrum of simulation. So I got the opportunity to go to a PhD in disaster education exactly, and so this gave me the chance to stay close and linked to the university, my university, the University of Piedmont Oriental in Novara in Italy, and we there established almost ten years ago a simulation center, a multidisciplinary simulation center. I had the chance to participate to the whole process of I mean from the start up to the maintenance of activity at the regular business, and almost three years ago I moved to Lugano, to the southern part of Switzerland, where I am leading a simulation center there, and I'm very happy about this new adventure because I'm sharing my time, my place, with a wonderful team and we are all working towards a very interesting project in the region in the Canton Teaching.
Jerrod Jeffries:That's wonderful. Thank you for sharing. So it was over 10 years ago when you got started in simulation. What year was that?
Pier Luigi:Well, actually it was probably a little bit more than 10 years ago. So 10 years ago we established the simulation centers in Novara, but it was, let's say, longer. My approach to simulation dates you know longer to the well.
Pier Luigi:Actually it dates to the medical school, I would say, where I well, actually the simulation made me when I was a medical student, not the other way around, because I worked in a medical student association and we established a peer education simulation based program about CPR training. So let's say it's a long story or it's a long love. Long story.
Jerrod Jeffries:I love that, though it's not that you make simulation. Simulation makes me. That's good, but it also seems like there's been so many partnerships that you've created over time, and I see CPS, so that's at Lugango and then and also you're involved with a well-known European professional organization. You wanna share a little bit about that too? Yeah?
Pier Luigi:yeah. So I'm very proud to, you know, have the chance to again invest my time because I think it's an investment really with the European society, with the society for simulation in Europe, which is the scientific simulation society which run, which, let's say, work, at the European level. It's called it's a sun and higher. You know, approach it Stesson, of course, at the beginning as a member, and after a couple of years I had the opportunity to become a secretary and after four years I actually have been elected president or currently president elect. So Congratulations, thank you very much. A lot of responsibility actually, but very happy to take them.
Deb Tauber:Thank you, and now Pier Luigi. That kind of gets us into the next question is what are your goals for CCM Now as president?
Pier Luigi:Well, so my goal mainly I mean it's not a very easy question, but let's put it in this way my goal is to, I guess, facilitate mainly the work of the entire executive committee, the work of the scientific committee and the work of the special interest group for the benefit of all our members and European sync community as a whole. Of course, say, special eye we'll go to our members. So we are already working very hard to make the membership more meaningful and valuable. We are launching I mean we have launched actually new initiative for the young and let's say the less young simulationists, so those with experience, I'm meaning the mentorship program and some I mean educational activities. So I think this is one main goal.
Pier Luigi:I also believe and I will do my best to accomplish it European level of advocacy and a greater collaboration with the National Simulation Society are the goals that CISM should pursue in the next year. So we need to talk with the authorities at European level to make sure that simulation is not only done by sensitive professionals or in visionary institutions, but it becomes a kind of common practice, part of the baggage of any caregivers. And to do this I think we need to be able to strengthen our relationship with the local and the national scientific society to increase even more the credibility of what we propose as a European society. And probably sorry, my last goal would be to keep the sense of family, of community, that we can find when we approach the sun. So, either for the newcomers, or new members or a founding member, yeah, I love that.
Deb Tauber:Now, how many members are there in the organization?
Pier Luigi:Well, I should check the number. So, in terms of membership, probably we are not too much. I think we are almost 500 or a little bit less. What we witnessed this year besides the membership, was a lot of attention to the society in terms of participation at our annual meeting, at the annual SESAM conference, and this made us very proud of, because we really went over our expectations. So one of the goals again would be to say, convert these conference cameras in active members, which is a very I guess not a very ambitious goal, but a very concrete goal.
Jerrod Jeffries:And that's what we connected. Pier Luigi was at the SESAM conference. So if we could, I would love to look back, because one it was an incredible conference and, as you said, there were more conference attendees this was in Lisbon, Portugal, in June, I believe, correct and there were more attendees than members and I felt like there was so much value at the conference that there are a lot of highlights. But I want to hear your thoughts. How do you think the conference went? What was well received? Is there anything you can lead us into? Because I know the next one's in Prague in 2024. So debrief a little around that, if you may.
Pier Luigi:So debrief a bit. It's again not very easy, just say, as you say correctly SE annual meeting took place last June in Portugal, in Lisbon, and we gathered the brightest minds among simulation professionals and enthusiasts for all over Europe and beyond, and we are very proud of it. As I mentioned, we exceed our expectation. We had more than a thousand, exactly 1,100 participants from more than 50 countries. We had more than 400 first time attendees and this for us is a very important signal. As I said before, we hosted, if I will remember, 44, 45 stands of simulation corporates and startups, so a lot of attention by the professional, let's say ecosystem. And if we are debriefing, we are doing the debriefing. We are very happy to have been, or made the program, which offered more than 200 hours of contents in three days, which was more than a double more worship than the previous year, and during this, this worship, the participants had the chance to share the scientific result of different individuals and the latest innovation in the field were also presented. Our simulation and research network, the SIWIN, gathered the stimulation researcher working at all levels, from novice researcher to experienced researchers' colleagues, and the aim was to leverage the expertise in European simulation community to build research capacity in Europe. So very happy about that.
Pier Luigi:And just the last, probably List, but not last, the last monolith, the item or topic that I would like to rise is that we also Increase the participation in our sim University, which is the sim bay simulation based competition that we run for all medical and nursing students at the European level again. So it's a competition, but it's, of course, is an educational event hidden in a competition format. So we had the 13 teams from all over the Europe and Beyond and six of them took part to the finance in Lisbon. So we as a society coverage all the Expensive, you know, accommodation and meals, so it's a very great opportunity for medical students. I wish it to have something like that when I was students and it's crazy, right?
Jerrod Jeffries:I mean, you've been in sim for well over a decade and you see how many people have been involved and been in the community, where they're still very excited and there's some advanced practices. But sometimes I think or maybe I'll speak for myself like you forget about all the new people entering simulation and, as you said, 400 first-time attendees you have. You know these, these sim University, which is fantastic to accelerate, incentivize Youth or those kind of entering the field to get more involved, and I think that these types of niches are extremely important. So well done, I love. I love hearing that.
Pier Luigi:Thank you very much. I think it's a, it's a very. It's the result of a team work, really, and it's, you know, expression of a team. A lot of people work at very hard and With a lot of passion, invested a lot of time, and so, as a group, we were very happy About the result of what we had.
Jerrod Jeffries:Yeah, and I remember one comment that stuck out to me was three people presenting across three countries. After the presentation, someone stood up. I think it was from Scotland or Ireland or something. It's just like I've been looking for you three for the past decade Because you're my brothers and sisters. I'm finally not alone. I know that there's someone else like that and Experiencing the same issues troubles, growth, concerns and it was just so beautiful to see these connections that happen. You know, of course, at the conference with that C-Sampadon.
Pier Luigi:Yes, I think what you said is correct. So one of the main aim of the society is to to create connection correct and to provide the platform for the simulations, to to establish this connection and share ideas and Experiences, and to exactly what you said created is a sense of community, of professional community. So I'm not alone. I have some other people working the way I'm doing, facing the same careers.
Deb Tauber:They have already bypassed, probably, the barriers, but the challenges that I'm facing handling right now yeah, now, if people are to look back five years from now, what would a successful presidency look like? How are you gonna feel that it's been a success at the end of your term?
Pier Luigi:Well, let's say that the fact that they remember you, it's already a success and I hope they will remember in a positive way, because otherwise would be Catastrophe instead of a success. And so what? What could be successful in my opinion? As you know, president, I think again to probably to strengthen this sense of community would be one of my best result. But at the same time, I guess and this would be, I would be very honored to be remembered of create or facilitate the establishment of more Credibility about the, the simulation you know. So probably still at least, what we are witnessing in Europe, not in all country and not at the same level, but simulation is something that has been done most, sometimes in during the spur time, by few geek people or some physician or clinicians, nurses, who like to play with the dough. So I really would like to play a role in changing this mind to the community of healthcare providers and and probably at the top level, at our decision-making level.
Deb Tauber:That's quite an admiral goal that you have, and I can see what I hear you saying is you would like for simulation to be used more mainstream and not just every once in a while by by people.
Pier Luigi:That's correct, correct, I think is one of the main, the key, let's say need that we are feel or we might meet and satisfy, because this will really play a difference, or the difference we normally compare or make links with the aviation world. No, it's Like we would accept to enter in a in a aircraft, knowing that the pilots Probably got experience in a or probably is the first time we're running word. So I would like to import the same astonishment in the professional community and the patient community when we think about the clinician doing a practice for the first time.
Jerrod Jeffries:And I love that, and I think the push towards greater use cases and usage within healthcare simulation is also put out by one of your hobbies or maybe it used to be, and now one that's well known. But I did come across SIMS-Zine as well. Would you be able to shed some light on that?
Pier Luigi:Yes. Thank you, Jerrod, for giving me also the opportunity to present SIMS-Zine. So SIMS-Zine was born in Italy as a magazine entirely dedicated to simulation. It's the first, and currently probably the only one, three language, multi-language, free of access simulation magazine. Its purpose is to make known, to discover but also to deepen the world of simulation in a whole its aspect. And he wants to do it in a slightly different way, so like a real Zine, so the inspired by you know, the small self-published magazine that usually were distributed through informal networks.
Pier Luigi:It's a magazine with a fresh tone and an engaging format that speaks of simulation, quality of care and patient safety. The intent is to deal with the serious topic, including scientific one, but with the simple and understandable words, so ready for all. And it's a challenging, of course, initiative venture. It was born, so the idea it's nice. I would like to report and to share with you with all that. The idea came up during a lunch, around the table, between me and the other partner, Giacomo Gensini, sipping a glass of red wine in a restaurant in Milan that was just reopened after the pandemic wait. And so we came up with the idea you know drinking and having this nice lunch and say, but why don't we? We launch this magazine, which probably will fill some of the needs or communication needs, and it's interesting because it says the antidote that I reported is described in a comic which published in a number zero of the magazines and Zine.
Jerrod Jeffries:One. I love the advocacy and the push to. I think that so many good ideas come from a glass of red wine, so I love to hear that. But then also, speaking of that, it was founded and came from Italy. Where do you see or where do you see, the focus being to increase the simulation footprint?
Pier Luigi:not only within.
Jerrod Jeffries:Italy, but throughout Europe.
Pier Luigi:Yes, as I mentioned before, I think we must strengthen the cooperation amongst the probably the national societies. Let's think that it's must be done in order to join initiative that advance international activities but have national spillovers. So what I guess simulation is missing right now is also regulation, for example, in a broad sense. So we need regulation in in the professional development at the graduate and postgraduate level, how to achieve and maintain competencies. I think, again, we cannot tolerate anymore the we always done like that or this in this way the first time on patient is not ethical anymore. It shouldn't be based on the awareness or the sensitivity of the clinician or educators. It might be regulated by law. Again, regulation we need regulation about who can deliver simulation based education.
Pier Luigi:Simulation is powerful but it also can be dangerous if misused. It's interesting I'm going to publish an article in Simzine by Susan Kardong-Edrian and Elizabeth Wells Beat from in NASCIL, just about the abuse of nursing students in simulation by uninformed, un-trained and probably but surely well intentioned simulation educator or faculty. So to become a simulation as any other professional, we need to give a set of competence which you can gain through a given training. Probably the two day courses are not enough. So the other simulation I guess is of education is not well valued yet.
Pier Luigi:And the last, I guess, about regulation that I would like to mention is we need also regulation about simulators. So we debate about simulation modalities, which abilities are developed using a given type of modalities, and so on. We could only benefit from a sort of, you know, specification for healthcare simulation, training devices to qualify simulator and software. And I think we again, as a scientific society, together with industry, could play a very important role identifying criteria for qualification and determine what is the type of simulator and what we can expect from that simulator in terms of educational effectiveness.
Deb Tauber:That's a really interesting point I had considered previously. Thank you, Thank you.
Pier Luigi:Thank you for letting me share these ideas.
Jerrod Jeffries:And I know we touched on twice, but I love your shared mindset of you know, the right partnerships, that of working together with other national orgs, groups, etc. Because I mean, you know, nursing of course is a large healthcare profession, but when it comes to simulation and pushing that across all these different interprofessional educational disciplines, of course simulation is not as large as, you know, any of us think it should be right now. And so, when you're getting this data and you're getting this policy, regulation, advocacy, etc. I think there's so much work that needs to be done on that foundational level first, in order to present the data, the dashboards, all the other information. To say this is why it's important, as you mentioned, going back to the aviation industry, you know it's just, it was more mature or older than what we are now. You know, in some ways of high fidelity. Of course we can go back to Florence 9 in Gail and say, oh, no they were doing.
Jerrod Jeffries:But I love your thought and your push around all that. I think it's really refreshing and I think it's a great way for that European model. Being the president of and kind of being a you know a host or person for what simulation is going to be going on within Europe, so really welcomed and I really appreciate the insights.
Deb Tauber:Now I was going to ask another question as far as the magazine, the Simzine magazine, where can we find that? Is it free? Is it online? Is it a paper? Can you tell us a little bit more about it so that maybe, if our listeners are interested in checking it out, they can locate it?
Pier Luigi:Yes, so the magazine is available online at the Simzine News URL.
Pier Luigi:It's free of charge, so it's free of charge for the readers and it's free of charge for those who like to submit an article. So it can be. Let's say, the main objective, as I mentioned, is to give voice to those who have something interesting to share and to do that in the way they like. So and this was, this is one of the reasons we don't really have editorial regulation, so we just let the authors to write the way they like. It is also the reason why we spend regularly, spend a lot of time in translating each contribution in three different languages, because we want to keep the language of the author but also make more, let's say, available the readership, translating in Spanish, Italian or in English. We actually have also had some contribution in French and in the next issue also in Portuguese. So, again, this is the main idea.
Pier Luigi:Simzine is not only digital, also in print. There is an in print version which is issued every two months more or less, and we normally distribute it at international conferences or events. So we establish media partnership with the conference and we provide the attendees with the copies, free of charge again, of the magazine, probably because, to do my age, I love the feeling, still the feeling of the paper and what the paper can transmit through the. I mean touching it. So we are keeping the in print version and we are spending a lot of time in designing and developing each issue. So it's also, as I say, the author are very well-coming, so anyone can be an author. And again, I don't know if I said, but the publication is also free of charge and Simzine is the regular ISSN and it can also be cited. Of course we can use it as a way to disseminate the scientific product. I mean, you publish in a scientific journal, you're in a scientific way, and then if you want to disseminate the article, well, we can be a good platform.
Deb Tauber:Now. Are there any parting words you would like our listeners to hear from you, anything that you want to leave us with, or any questions for Jared and I?
Pier Luigi:I have a lot of questions for you and Gerard, actually, but I will keep them for an interview in Xinjiang if you don't mind. And so, as a parting word probably, I would like to invite all the other, all the simulations, to share again, to share their experience, their best practice, but also their concern, through media like podcasts, Cafe afe, or again scientific journal or magazine like Simzine, or participate in a conference. To me this given time, it's important that we talk about simulation as much as possible to create this sense of professional community that I mentioned before. I'm not the only one who is playing with the dough, so there are many others who are playing with the dough and probably this play is having surely by evidence important effect on patient's acting.
Jerrod Jeffries:I've loved your vision and how you see the next one. Three, five years, I think it's. Of course it's a lot of work, but all good things do take a lot of time and then workload. So I full and i and and I love that to see what keep it, look at, to see what CSAM is able to accomplish, as well as all the other endeavors that you're undertaking. So thank you for your time.
Deb Tauber:Yeah, and let us know how we can support you. Obviously, we all want to raise the bar.
Pier Luigi:Thank you very much again for this beautiful conversation. I envision a lot of way to support each other and collaborate. I think we shared the same goal. I think we're going to have a lot of opportunity to do right thing together.
Deb Tauber:Thank you. Well with that, thank you very much for being a guest and happy simulating.
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