SIMULATION INTEREST GROUP
Meet the AAEM Simulation Interest Group Co-Chairs Afrah A. Ali, MBBS FAAEM, and Rose Goncalves, MD FAAEM
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r. Afrah Ali: I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine. I completed my medical school from Gulf Medical University, UAE. I graduated from an emergency medicine residency at University of Mississippi Medical Center, following which I completed a Clinical Simulation fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center. I serve as the course co-director for various medical student’s educational courses and as one of the simulation faculty. My area of interests includes simulation education, critical care, psychiatric, and dermatologic emergencies.
What will AAEM SIM IG offer?
AA: We would like to foster a group of sim enthusiasts to discuss simulation-based education, training, and assessment. The purpose of this community is to educate members on best simulation practices, research, debriefing techniques, and operations. RG: A safe place for sim enthusiasts and educators to share ideas and collaborate on projects to help advance EM medical simulation. Provide a platform for young faculty to publish innovative research pertaining to EM medical simulation education. What are the short-term plans for the IG?
AA: We would like to recruit more members to engage in our IG activities. We plan to have three different work groups: simulation based education, research, and operations. We hope to collaborate with other sections and communities for educational projects. RG: Build our sim interest group. Monthly newsletters on a sim topic. Provide workshops during AAEM annual conference for people interested in sim on topics such as how to start a curriculum, how to build low fidelity models, and how to engage the difficult learner. What is your favorite part about simulation?
The purpose of [the Simulation IG] is to educate members on best simulation practices, research, debriefing techniques, and operations.
Dr Rose Goncalves: I attended Northeastern University in MA and graduated with a degree in Biology and a minor in Spanish. I continued my medical education at Drexel University in PA. Upon graduation, I interned at the Naval Hospital in San Diego and served as a General Medical Officer in the United States Navy. I then specialized in emergency medicine and graduated from York Hospital, PA. I have worked as an emergency medicine physician for the past 12 years from rural setting to tertiary care centers. I am currently Assistant Professor at Florida State University College of Medicine in the emergency medicine department and work full time clinically. I am the co-director of the simulation lab for the emergency residency program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. My areas of interests included medical simulation education, public health, disaster medicine, and global health. I enjoy globetrotting, relaxing at the beach, reading, and spending time with my family.
AA: My favorite part about simulation is writing an imaginative scenario and visualizing the learner’s response to it. I thoroughly enjoy the debriefing process after the scenario as well. Discussing the various learners thought process and helping build critical thinking skills is vital during this process. RG: My favorite part about simulation is writing a scenario and watching it unfold and play out. I feel like a movie director. It is such a fun way to teach learners valuable skills in a low-risk environment. Medical simulation provides irreplaceable tools to train learners. Can the AAEM Simulation IG help implement DEI topics in EM resident education?
AA: Yes, we intend to form a develop scenarios to teach DEI topics. RG: Develop a simulation curriculum in DEI topics with goals of having a positive impact on both workplace and patient care. Provide a platform to share lessons learned via Q and A forums. Where is medical simulation going in the future?
AA: The technology is always changing. We saw many innovative ways of using simulation for education during the COVID pandemic. Virtual reality is gaining momentum in teaching different scenarios in various specialties including emergency medicine. RG: Simulation technology is rapidly evolving to develop more anatomically correct mannequins with improved physiologic responses to virtual reality medical simulation. This is the way of the future.
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