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

In this epsidoe, Tony and Lawrence sit down with Nick Turton, Simulation Centre Manager at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences. Nick oversees a highly evolved simulation ecosystem, including a faculty-wide clinical skills service, a specialist technical workforce, and a 100-strong simulated patient network.

Together, we explore what a Simulation Centre Manager actually does, why the role is vital for universities, and how strategic leadership, governance, and financial management underpin high-quality simulation-based education. From VR labs to mannequin maintenance, student experience to long-term planning, Nick offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how large-scale simulation centres really operate.

If you’ve ever wondered how simulation infrastructure is built, sustained, and future-proofed, this is one to catch.

We’re back! After an unexpected break, Tony and Lawrence return to the SimCast studio for a catch-up episode full of updates, reflections, and future plans for simulation in higher education.

Tony reveals the biggest news of all... while Lawrence shares his new role as Director of Simulation and Clinical Skills at the University of East Anglia. Together, they discuss why simulation schedules (and life) sometimes collide, and explore how AI is fast becoming the “extra faculty member” every sim team needs.

This episode also dives into the growing concept of Simulated Practice Learning (SPL), simulation taxonomies, governance, and the exciting developments ahead of the Elevate Healthcare Simulation Conference.

Stay tuned for upcoming guests, fresh ideas on low-cost high-impact simulation, and a renewed focus on innovation as we close out 2025.

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Tell us what you’d like to hear in future episodes, or share your own high-impact, low-cost simulation ideas.

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Debriefing gone wrong? In this episode, Tony Jermy and Lawrence Hill explore how simulation debriefs derail (from over-teaching and awkward silences to lost psychological safety) and how to fix them. Learn practical tips, debrief models and communication skills to make every simulation count.