HNE Simulation Centre
The HNE Simulation Centre delivers training to approximately 4000 healthcare professionals each year and is one of the longest running simulation centres in Australia. Faculty are passionate about enhancing patient safety through simulation training and research and offer a wide range of training addressing clinical and non-clinical challenges, as well as instructor training and development programs. Download the Centre overview to find out more about us.
Upcoming course vacancies
Introductory Epidural Analgesia - Thursday 19 October
Our hands-on Introductory Epidural Analgesia course is designed to provide junior doctors with an interest in anaesthesia, or who are about to commence in a registrar role, with the knowledge and skills to safely administer labour epidurals for analgesia. This is a core skill for all anaesthetists and it can be the source of some difficulty at the beginning of training as the availability of learning opportunities is unpredictable. Jump-start this process with a comprehensive look at the technical and non-technical aspects of the procedure. Enrol now by calling us on (02) 4921 4268 or emailing HNELHD-SC@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Simulation Educator masterclass series
We're introducing a series of one-hour simulation educator masterclasses to help all staff interested in the use of simulation-based education and training in healthcare to get the most out of simulation as a teaching tool. Whether you're a solo educator delivering simulation sessions in your work setting, or part of a team delivering simulation training, these sessions will focus on a variety of useful skills and techniques for small groups. All sessions will be held in the HNE Simulation Centre, 1400-1500hrs. Please refer to the masterclass flyer for a list of dates and topics. Call us on 4921 4268 to register your interest.
In the spotlight
The 'H' Factor
Human Factors expert, Thom Loveday from the Clinical Excellence Commission, and HNE Simulation Centre Director Dr Cate McIntosh, recently facilitated a course that allowed Patient Safety Officers from across the district to use real incidents and test themselves on the use of
tools and techniques for understanding how human factors influences decision making.
Read more ...
Difficult conversations made easy
A group of lawyers, social workers and disability workers have enhanced their ability to have difficult conversations thanks to three HNE Simulation Centre instructors volunteering to deliver the specialised training in their own time.
Here's what one of the participants had to say: "It is an area of management that I lack confidence in and feel uncomfortable with. I have immediately commenced putting the skills into practice. The course is a tool for life."
Read more ...
Getting it right really matters
Since a number of avoidable plane crashes in the 1970s, pilots have undergone Crew Resource Management training to further develop their technical, communication and leadership skills under a range of flying scenarios and crises.
This same kind of education and training also happens in Hunter New England Health at the HNE Simulation Centre. Read more ...
From student to Associate Faculty
Rheily Wood completed an elective placement at the HNE Simulation Centre during the final year of her medical degree and has never looked back.
Now a Senior Resident Medical Officer in Critical Care, Rheily has remained involved in the centre and is our first volunteer instructor to be awarded the title of Associate Faculty. Read Rheily's story ...
Prepared for any emergency
Nursing Unit Manager Christine Smith has first-hand experience of how simulation training translates to practice in a real-life emergency.
Having recently participated in a simulation-based team training course at Tomaree Community Hospital, Christine and her colleague were on a shift together when the training proved its worth. Read more ...
Taking simulation to school
How do you keep 30 energetic eight-year-olds immersed in learning for more than an hour?
Follow the example of Lambton Public School and have one of the children's dads run a hands-on simulation training session in the classroom. Read more ...
Can't Intubate, Can't Oxygenate
Monica is admitted to hospital for a routine operation. She is taken to the operating theatre, put to sleep and given medication to paralyse her. The anaesthetist is about to insert the breathing tube through which she will be given oxygen during the operation when he discovers the anatomy inside Monica’s throat is abnormal and he is unable to get the tube into position.
Read how simulation training prepares healthcare staff for recognising and managing such a crisis.
Born to Teach
Dr Sacha Muller-Botti has always loved teaching and has literally been in the right place at the right time to fulfil his teaching aspirations.
In 2008 he was given the chance to become an instructor with the HNE Simulation Centre, which has culminated in becoming a fully qualified instructor with the internationally recognised Institute for Medical Simulation in Boston. Read more ...
Responding to changing health landscape
New medical graduates starting their careers with Hunter New England Health are participating in an innovative simulation-based program designed to better equip them for life on the wards as a junior doctor.
Aptly named Intern Boot Camp, the program typifies the definition of boot camp which is 'a program or situation that helps people become much better at doing something in a short period of time'. Read more ...
YouTube Project
The HNE Simulation Centre has been working in collaboration with Kaleidoscope – Children, Young People and Families, to develop a series of YouTube videos that show how the centre provides vital training to the teams who care for your kids.
Check out the clips (cannot be accessed from HNELHD computers): 
Newsletter
Australian & New Zealand College of Anaesthetist (ANZCA) CPD courses
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