SIMPO 2023 pohledem zahraničního hosta

Before the event, Associate Professor Martina Kosinová guided me through the premises - 8000 square metres of building set over 5 storeys. The Brno simulation centre is the largest simulation centre in Europe. Thanks to the contribution of Professor Petr Štourač, numerous courses are held on a daily basis in the simulation centre; these include Adult learning and Basic Course of Debriefing, Advanced Course of Debriefing and Communication, Anaesthesia and critical events in children, Critical events in adult anaesthesiology, critical events in ICU, Ultrasound in critical events to name just a few. The centre is bustling with energy and the staff is enthusiastic and helpful.

The symposium programme was varied, interesting and relevant. I presented “The Role of the Educator in Adult Learning”, and found the audience to be warm and knowledgeable – in fact, the great majority did some form of teaching, and more than 50% of the audience received training on how to teach. It was rewarding to see so many participants engage during the quiz and other questions.

The day progressed with several focus groups and workshops which ran in parallel. Participants interacted actively during the focus groups and workshops and the moderators were engaging, professional and captivating. I had the pleasure of getting to know Dr Tereza Vafková who led the faculty development focus group.

The Brno Simulation Centre promotes faculty development and gives importance to medical education, training of instructors, professional development and lifelong learning. It also invests in teaching medical students how to teach; it was impressive to see medical students present and close the programme with their session on “Student-led debriefing”.