Doha – May 26, 2025: Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently held its fourth annual 'Simulation Educator Course: Designing and Debriefing Effective Simulations,' offering clinicians, technologists, health professionals, and educators an opportunity to master the effective use of simulation-based education.

During the two days, participants explored the theoretical foundations of simulation-based learning and designed simulation scenarios aligned with healthcare simulation standards of best practice. The course emphasized the three-step approach of prebrief, simulation, and debrief to ensure psychological safety for learners to identify and address gaps in their knowledge and practice. Discussions revolved around emerging evidence on the importance of eliciting learners' emotional reactions at the outset of any debriefing conversations to ensure emotions did not block cognition and to provide a forum for practitioners to recognize and express 'stressful situations' and learn approaches to manage similar emotions in the clinical setting. Interactive debriefing and peer feedback sessions enabled participants to reflect on, analyze, and understand the risks and benefits of observed behaviors.

The course was designed and delivered by Dr. Stella Major, a professor of family medicine teaching in medicine and director of the Clinical Skills and Simulation Lab (CSSL) at WCM-Q, and Dr. Michelle Brown, an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), founding program director of the healthcare simulation master's degree, educator in the Office of Interprofessional Simulation, and director of research for the Office of Interprofessional Simulation. They were joined by three simulation facilitators: Rudy Bahri, the manager of CSSL at WCM-Q; Arlene Masaba, from the Nursing Department at the College of Health Sciences, University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST); and Dr. Maham Batool Hadi, a clinical tutor at Qatar University College of Medicine.

Dr. Major, the course director, said: 'There is growing evidence to support the impact of simulation-based training on improved patient care and building effective teamwork. I am delighted to see a growing interest among educators seeking opportunities to learn to become better simulation practitioners. Thus far, our course has welcomed 136 participants from Qatar and the MENA region and offered them an opportunity to meet, experience, reflect, and discuss ways they can enhance their skills as simulation practitioners. Seeing participants' eyes light up when they connect the theory to practice is really rewarding. One attendee remarked: 'Although I have applied the debriefing techniques before, this course helped me in knowing the proper structure of the debriefing technique and the reasons why they are relevant to be followed and used.''

Dr. Major added: 'In my mind, one of the key takeaways of our course is that it reminds attendees, who are often subject matter experts in their respective clinical fields, that it is important to harness best practices in education and always begin by identifying learners' needs and educational objectives, before embarking on designing and delivering simulations. Clear learning objectives help craft better scenarios and assist in conducting structured debriefing.' 

This year, the course welcomed 36 participants, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, healthcare simulation professionals, technologists, and educators.

Reflecting on her experience, Emily Kelly from Sidra Medicine said: 'The course totally exceeded my expectations. Phenomenal level of professionalism, teaching environment, welcoming, open, and nurturing. Thank you!'

Another participant, Mahmoud Al Afeef, a clinical educator at Naufar, said: 'This course adds a lot if you are seeking new approaches to impact teaching and learning for both students and clinical staff. We had a lot of discussions, lots of people from different areas and levels of experience, and a lot of learning from each other. Sharing this knowledge was so useful.'

The course is accredited in Qatar by the Department of Healthcare Professions-Accreditation Section (DHP-AS) of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and internationally by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).