Many faculty members feel unprepared to hold discussions and develop plans for helping students meet clinical course objectives. This scenario helps prepare faculty members to develop a plan using a positive growth mindset framework to support students to become successful professionals. The scenario is written for nursing, but could easily be used by a variety […]

A 74 year old female is admitted under the hospitalist at a community hospital with a UTI. She is on day 3 of antibiotic therapy. While in hospital, she develops acute onset of right arm weakness, facial droop and unintelligible speech. Participants should recognize an acute CVA within the window, perform a stroke assessment, treat […]

The team is called to manage an unresponsive man with respiratory depression. The initial assessment involves rapidly evaluating potential causes for altered mental status, including hypoglycemia, hypoxia, and intoxication. Initial management of hypoglycemia and airway support does not improve the patient’s mental status. The team must recognize opioid toxidrome and administer naloxone. The patient will […]

A 10-day-old term male neonate is brought to the emergency department by his parents. Their concerns are that, over the course of the day, he has become pale, his feet look “bluer”, and he is more lethargic. Moreover, he has only made 1 diaper today and is feeding very poorly. On examination, this is a […]

The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) in partnership with the Canadian Alliance of Nurse Educators using Simulation (CAN-Sim) have collaborated to develop and disseminate five virtual simulation modules in both official languages to build capacity among graduating and new registered nurses entering the health care workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. VSGs have been […]

A 47 year old male presents with acute respiratory failure via EMS. He rapidly decompensates upon arrival. His travel history is missed on initial screening by EMS due his severity so he is transferred to the trauma bay without appropriate precautions. Part-way through the case his travel history is revealed (if not already asked for) […]

Scenario: Case designed during the January 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in order to assess and improve team preparedness for safely and effectively caring for a critically ill coronavirus patient from triage through to intubation and disposition in a community hospital. The scenario focusses on system processes more than individual skills. This case was adapted from one […]

The PEARLS for Systems Integration Debreifng Tool is now available as a free colour download.

EMR-sim is a computer-based (‚’virtual patient’) simulation to teach clinicians on the challenges of using electronic medical records (EMRs) in the patient-clinician encounter. The scenarios for this project were designed on the basis of a literature review and a research study of the impact of EMRs on the clinical encounter and the strategies and best […]

Pt has 1 week history of cough/fever, seen in ED yesterday and intubated this morning for worsening SOB and hypoxia. Remains difficult to oxygenate. Hypotensive and on pressure support. Pt taken to CT scan then directly to ICU. More difficult to bag en-route to ICU. Pt O2 sat decreasing to 82%- 75%. Pt develops decreased […]

Mike is a 35 year old male. He was on a first date at Nami sushi on Lonsdale. His date offered him gomae, he took one bite and felt lip tingling immediately, he told his date about his severe peanut allergy and they came to the ED. No Epi Pen. Triage nurse to present case […]

7 year old child, febrile for 2 days, parents notice seizure like activity and bring to emergency. During initial assement, patient seizes. Patient stops seizing when given appropriate mediations.

This scenario uses a physician confederate, who becomes fixated on intubation while the patient deteriorates, and offers the nursing and RT staff an opportunity to recognize and manage a critical deterioration as well as a fixation error.

This is an instrument to measure situation awareness in nurses participating in a patient deterioration simulation scenario. It measures nurses’ perception of quantifiable signs of deterioration (e.g., vital signs, level of consciousness) and less quantifiable signs of deterioration (e.g., breath sounds, agitation, new pain). It also measures nurses’ comprehension of the meaning of these signs […]

Elderly man in ICU 12 hours post cardiac arrest. ETT blocks leading to cardiac deterioration.

Since the publication of the 2011 report Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, few tools have been developed to evaluate attitudes that reflect the competencies. The Interprofessional Assessment Scale (IPAS) was developed and validated with this purpose in mind.

A teenaged inpatient client with an acquired brain injury is going home for the first time. She and her mother are quite anxious about this weekend leave of absence. A clinician has been tasked with: (1) ensuring the client has her medications for the weekend: and (2) providing the client/family with a copy of the […]

A parent meeting with an Early Childhood Educator to review the goals that they had set earlier in the year. A new member of the team has been asked to lead the discussion. The mother thinks the goals are too complicated, and just wants to hear her child say, “I love you.”

This is a family’s first outpatient visit with a clinician. They have many questions about what to expect. The learner’s task is to effectively communicate their role at the hospital and help the family understand how this therapy/service will help their child.

The learner is a clinician who is having an initial meeting with the two fathers of a child with cerebral palsy. The learner needs to engage the family in determining how the goals for the child will be developed, and answer their questions.

A 35-year-old woman comes to hospital for day surgery. The induction of anesthesia goes smoothly. Early in the procedure the patient becomes hypotensive and hypoxemic. The participants must recognize and respond to an air/CO2 embolus.

A generally healthy 35-year-old woman comes to the hospital for day surgery. She received a dose of cefalexin pre-operatively. Soon after, she begins to complain of itchiness and a rash. This proceeds to a full anaphylactic reaction that the team must manage.

A 42 yo woman comes to hospital for day surgery. Induction of anesthesia goes smoothly. Early into the procedure, she develops hypoxemia, hypotension and rising airway pressure. The team must recognize and manage a tension pneumothorax.

A 55 yo woman with increased risk for perioperative cardiac event comes to the hospital for day surgery. She is stable during unduction of anesthesia. Shortly into the operation her vital signs become unstable. The team must recognize and respond to unstable atrial fibrillation.