Greetings! Things always seem to get busier in Spring. As a parent of teens, I am experiencing this firsthand with back-to-back school events each week, and the same seems true in the healthcare space.
In May, the United States recognizes the vital societal infrastructure provided by our hospital systems and Emergency Medical Service providers with similar back-to-back weeks designed to call attention to these core services. I believe that simulation centers and programs belong in the same category: vital services without which healthcare could not be provided in the safe, effective manner that it is today.
It is important that we take a moment to recognize this fact. Our healthcare workforce cannot afford to learn by trial and error on real patients, and it is you that makes this safe education possible. As I write this, I am preparing to train my nursing and physician staff in our pediatric ICU and knowing that those sessions might make the difference in the life of a patient I may never take care of myself is what motivates me to put my all into that effort.
Always remember that what we do as simulationists is not a luxury but a necessity. It is not peripheral but sits at the core of healthcare training and safety.
On another note, IMSH 2027 submissions are now open.
Each year at IMSH I am energized by the innovations, novel educational techniques, and cutting-edge research presented, and I invite you to be a part of this next year. After hearing that invitation, you may be thinking “what do I have to offer?”
My answer: a great deal! Innovation in simulation training fundamentally happens when simulationists face new challenges, adapt, and find a way through it to the betterment of their learners. Hearing about how you approached these situations can be of great benefit to your colleagues.
So, I ask you to consider your day-to-day work in simulation over the past year. What challenges have you faced? How did those challenges force you to do something different than before? How might others benefit from the solution you developed? If you have had that experience, I encourage you to take it, craft a submission, and bring it to IMSH 2027. I look forward to seeing what each of you has to teach this community.
Sincerely,
Aaron Calhoun, MD, FSSH
SSH President, 2026-27