In this episode of SimCast, we explore how AI-powered virtual placements are reshaping healthcare simulation. Joined by Abby Mitchell and Behnam Jafari from King’s College London, Tony and Lawrence examine how co-design, representation, and technology intersect to create authentic, scalable learning experiences.

This conversation moves beyond the hype of AI and asks deeper questions about access, authenticity, and the realities of implementing large-scale simulation. From working with marginalised communities to managing 280 students in a single day, this episode offers a candid and practical look at what it really takes to innovate in simulation education.

#SimCast #Podcast #ClinicalSimulation #highereducation #simulation

In this episode of SimCast, Tony and Lawrence are joined by Phil Purver and Alex Clark from iRIS to explore a cloud-based scenario design and management platform that’s changing the way simulation is created, governed and delivered. From AI-generated scenarios to importing legacy Word documents and accessing a global library of over 1200 shared cases, iRIS is tackling the three pressures every simulation team recognises: time, quality and capacity.

We dig into the live demo, governance safeguards, student-led scenario design, interprofessional collaboration and the bigger question of whether AI can democratise simulation without compromising clinical rigour. If you design, deliver or manage simulation, this episode will give you plenty to think about.

- Learn more at the platform here: www.iris-sim.com
- Phil Purver - https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-purver-686254/
- Alex Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkalexandra/

#SimCast #Podcast #Simulation #HigherEducation #ClinicalSimulation

Timestamps

00:00 – Meet Iris: The Origin Story
03:01 – What Is Iris? Time, Quality and Capacity
08:26 – Three Ways to Build a Scenario
13:44 – AI Scenario Generator in Action
21:37 – Governance, Review and Human Oversight
24:59 – Exporting to Multiple Simulation Technologies
30:16 – StudentSim and Democratizing Design
39:57 – Where Did Iris Come From?
42:25 – Balancing Simplicity and Complexity
48:36 – The Future of Simulation Education

In this episode of SimCast Tony and Lawrence are joined by Craig Dores, NHS Simulation Technician, former British Army Combat Medic, host of the SimTech Podcast and founder of the National Simulation Technician Awards,

Craig shares how a gap in the simulation podcast landscape led him to create a platform dedicated to the technician voice. The conversation explores professional identity, the evolving role of simulation technicians, the growth of a national community, and why “just the tech” is a phrase that needs retiring.

If you are involved in healthcare simulation, higher education, NHS workforce development, or technical simulation support, this episode offers insight into one of the most important and often under-recognised roles in our field.

Links 🔗

The SimTech Podcast - Hosted by Craig Dores

https://open.spotify.com/show/5URzrrB1udHmjyroSDWIrk?si=e84132ff9e364d66

Nominations form for the National Simulation Technician Awards (closes end of April 2026)

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=slTDN7CF9UeyIge0jXdO41-Rc9rlzghGs2SKWvYkKHZUNlYyRDdTSlJZWUY5RTZNNlIzS1I3WExOTi4u&route=shorturl

National Simulaiton Technician Symposium 2026

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf6lBhic--G9cnXGWxckF4wuOJpHi-S5WM58TC9F-s-gHJJEg/viewform?pli=1

#SimCast #Simulation #Podcast #HigherEducation #clinicalsimulation

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome and guest introduction
03:00 – Why Craig created the SimTech Podcast
07:00 – The evolving identity of the simulation technician
12:00 – Diverse backgrounds and what makes a great SimTech
16:20 – National Simulation Technician Awards explained
21:00 – The SimTech Symposium and building community
26:00 – Podcasting, vulnerability and imposter syndrome
32:00 – Advice for starting a podcast
35:00 – Professionalisation, banding and future direction
39:00 – “Just the tech” and recognition of invisible work
45:00 – Final reflections and how to get involved

In this episode of SimCast, Lawrence Hill and Tony Jermy explore how simulation educators can use large language models to work smarter, not harder.

Rather than focusing on high-cost or bespoke AI simulation platforms, this conversation stays firmly grounded in the pragmatic, everyday use of tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot to support the realities of simulation faculty workloads. The discussion centres on “back-of-house” applications that reduce cognitive load, improve consistency, and free up time for what really matters: learners, facilitation, and quality improvement.

#SimCast #Simulation #Podcast #Healthcare #ClinicalSimulation #HigherEducation

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to SimCast and episode overview
01:07 – Why this episode exists: time pressure and simulation reality
02:07 – Using AI in simulation: beyond the obvious scenario writing
02:36 – From AI novelty to embedded daily practice
03:02 – ChatGPT vs Copilot: honest reflections and frustrations
04:03 – Apple Intelligence, branding brilliance, delivery… less so
04:25 – How our use of AI for scenario writing has evolved
05:08 – Why paying for AI matters: documents, memory, and projects
05:27 – Using projects and settings to tailor AI for simulation work
06:06 – Starting with a blank screen: AI as a scenario kick-starter
06:23 – The non-negotiable role of fact-checking and human judgement
06:47 – Designing simulations from learning outcomes backwards
07:32 – Standardising simulation documentation with AI templates
07:51 – AI for faculty-facing preparation and organisation
08:23 – AI as a personal assistant for busy simulation educators
09:06 – Preparing learners for high-stakes simulation assessments
09:47 – Scaling individualised rehearsal opportunities for students
10:33 – Accuracy, hallucinations, and student-facing risks
11:32 – Working smarter vs working ethically with AI
12:02 – Why human intelligence still matters
12:29 – Using AI to address gaps in confidence and capability
13:22 – Naïve vs sophisticated use of AI in education
13:43 – AI as an executive assistant, not a subject expert
14:11 – Learning how AI thinks by watching it fail
14:35 – Being polite to AI… and telling it when it gets it wrong
15:09 – When AI fails at “simple” tasks: counting numbers
16:00 – AI as the ultimate people-pleaser
16:42 – What’s next: creative and advanced uses of AI in simulation
17:00 – Final reflections and call to action

In this episode of SimCast, hosts Tony and Lawrence are joined by Jo Sullivan and Kelly Steele to explore neurodiversity in simulation-based education. The conversation examines how simulation design, facilitation and debriefing can unintentionally exclude neurodivergent learners and what educators can do to create more inclusive, psychologically safe learning environments.

Drawing on lived experience, clinical education and higher education practice, this episode unpacks common challenges such as sensory overload, performance anxiety, fidelity overload and rapid-fire debriefing. Jo and Kelly share practical, evidence-informed strategies including sensory-aware simulation design, inclusive assessment practices, alternative debrief contributions and the ethical limits of realism. This is an essential listen for simulation educators, practice educators, resuscitation trainers and anyone designing learning in high-pressure clinical environments. 

Key topics include neurodiversity in healthcare education, inclusive simulation design, reasonable adjustments in assessment, sensory processing, debriefing for neurodivergent learners, psychological safety, ALS and resuscitation training, and inclusive pedagogy in higher education and the NHS.

#SimCast #Podcast #Simulaiton #ClinicalSimulation #HigherEducation

Forgive me father for I have simmed... 🙏🏻

SimCast returns for its first episode of 2026, with Tony and Lawrence back in the studio after the festive break and easing themselves into the new year by opening the simulation confessional. Armed with a shuffled deck of cards and a set of AI-generated prompts, they reflect candidly on the moments simulation educators rarely admit out loud, when technology fails, scenarios unravel, or facilitators quietly panic.

Across the episode, the conversation moves from blaming Wi-Fi for Bluetooth failures, to laughing at unexpected learner behaviour, pressing the wrong button, designing scenarios that are far too complex, and unintentionally reinforcing unsafe practice. Along the way, the discussion surfaces deeper themes around simulation artefacts, cognitive load, professional vulnerability, and the hard-earned lesson that simpler scenarios often lead to richer learning.

This is a reflective and good-humoured episode that foregrounds the human side of simulation-based education. Rather than polished best practice, Confessions of a Simulationist offers honesty, humility, and reassurance that even experienced educators are still learning, adapting, and occasionally confessing their simulation sins.

#SimCast #Podcast #Simulaiton #ClinicalSimulaiton #HigherEducation

SimCast Debriefing the Delegation Live at HPSN 2025. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?...

What happens when you try to debrief an entire conference?

In this special live episode of SimCast, recorded on stage at the Elevate HPSN Conference 2025, Tony Jermy and Lawrence Hill attempt something ambitious, slightly risky, and very on brand for simulation educators: they turn a plenary session into a live debrief.

The premise is simple. Conferences are full of brilliant concurrent sessions, and no one can attend everything. So rather than delivering a traditional keynote, SimCast invited the delegation to collectively reflect, share insights, and surface learning from across the day.

The reality? Debriefing a large audience, at the end of a long conference day, with roving microphones and varying levels of delegate energy, turns out to be… complex.

This episode captures the messy, human, and very real dynamics of large-group debriefing. At times it is energising, reflective, generous, and insightful. At other moments, it is awkwardly quiet, slightly uncomfortable, and a reminder that even experienced facilitators can inadvertently stretch psychological safety when fatigue sets in.

And that, of course, becomes part of the learning.

Reflections are shaped by delegate contributions from across disciplines, technician and educator perspectives, hallway conversations, and insights from the keynote delivered by Sharon Weldon (President-Elect, ASPiH).

This episode does not present a polished, perfect debrief. Instead, it models something arguably more valuable: authentic reflective practice, including recognition of what worked, what felt uncomfortable, and what facilitators might do differently next time.

If you have ever tried to debrief a large group, facilitated at the end of a long day, or wondered whether silence is reflective or just exhausting, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.

#SimCast #Simulation #Podcast #clinicalsimulation #highereducation

Strap in for one of the most imaginative episodes of SimCast yet. In this Desert-Island-Discs-inspired simulation challenge, Lawrence and Tony face a dramatic scenario: the plane taking them to an international simulation conference has crash-landed. With only two minutes to grab equipment, they must choose three essential pieces of simulation kit to build a functioning sim centre on a desert island… plus one luxury item.

Whether you’re a simulation technologist, clinical educator, paramedic, ODP, or simply love creative approaches to sim-based education, this episode is packed with insights and humour.

#simcast #podcast #simulation #clinicalsimulation #highereducation