Facilitating healthcare simulations

Facilitating healthcare simulations can be considered from at least two perspectives: the role and attributes of the facilitator and the process of facilitation. This chapter discusses the role of the facilitator and ways of facilitating simulations in the context of undergraduate nursing students within a Bachelor degree program. The practices and experiences of both authors, which frame these discussions, can be applied to other health disciplines or in situations where participants are in the early stages of embarking on a new clinical specialism or have rejoined the workforce after an absence. Facilitating simulations spans more than just the activity, and should incorporate the elements of conceptualization, preparation, briefing, the activity and debriefing through to reflection and evaluation. Strategies for ensuring a quality experience for students when managing large numbers of facilitators, and techniques to assist participants through the phases of a simulation, have been raised in the chapter.