Scenario Chapters Explained

Every scenario chapter has the same layout, with clear subheadings, each of which is explained in turn.

Scenario in a Nutshell

This orientates the facilitator by giving a brief overview of the scenario with brief one-liners for each of the stages.

Target Learner Groups

Most commonly, the whole multidisciplinary obstetric team are the target learners, with some additional specialities depending on the scenario. Your target learners may depend on who is available. It is likely that you will need to be flexible!

Specific Learning Objectives

These should be identified at the start of the session. It is all too easy for simulation to take different, unwanted directions away from these learning goals. Ensure you set your learning objectives and achieve them. Remember, your learners are adult learners, so they need to be party to the decision regarding what the learning objectives are; constructive alignment is essential to maximise learning. Consider the use of an educational checklist at the start of your session to determine and share individual learning objectives, see www.loafnbread.com for more information.

Suggested Learners

We offer suggestions as to who could be in the simulation. We do emphasise the importance for learners to adapt their normal roles in a simulation; by adopting roles that they have no knowledge of, the fidelity of the scenario will suffer. Think ahead as to whether the simulation can be run in parallel with other care teams, including neonatal emergency response teams or full theatre teams.

If faculty are playing a role in the simulation, it is important that they are well briefed with prompts that they may need to give along the way. It is difficult to predict the direction a team simulation will take; faculty members, as plants, can help to keep the simulation heading in the direction of the planned learning objectives.

Scenario Summary for Facilitators

It is important for the facilitator to review the scenario summary in order to plan exactly what can be achieved in the time allowed with the team present.

Set boundaries for the team before they start, including: what they can do with the manikin, how to summon help, what equipment they will have access to, whether they are able to transfer to different locations, etc. This is important as simulation becomes very immersive and before you know it, the team will have gained momentum in a direction that may not be anticipated!

Set-up Overview for Facilitators

The set-up overview is a guide to how you may wish to prepare your environment for the start of the scenario. Once again, this may change depending on what space is available to you. Anticipate what equipment the learners may require and make sure it is ready – or have a plan for what to do when they request it! When running in situ scenarios, you may wish to use your usual equipment which aids orientation, checks availability, stock levels and ease of access. Always remember, however, that patient safety is paramount, and make certain that use of equipment has no negative impact (see Chapter 2).

Useful manikin features are also alluded to in this section. We cannot emphasise strongly enough how important it is not to get hung up on the kit. You have to start somewhere, so do not wait until you have an all-singing, all-dancing birthing simulator before you start doing simulation! There are plenty of ways of getting around the lack of simulation equipment. Fidelity comes with learner buy-in and that does not equate to expense of simulation equipment (see Chapters 1, 5 and 13).

Medical Equipment

In this chapter there is a core equipment checklist. You will not need all the equipment for every scenario, but it can be used as a prompt to remind you what to prepare. Additional equipment specific to the scenario is listed in each scenario, again as a prompt.