RCSI Bahrain welcomed Professor and Chair of RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research, Professor Walter Eppich, for a four-day visit and intensive training, during his first trip to Bahrain since joining the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in Dublin in 2020. The course was organised at the Crown Prince Center for Training and Medical Research, with the active participation from hospitals and medical institutions in Bahrain.

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of School of Medicine, Professor Alfred Nicholson commented, “During his visit, Professor Eppich highlighted that simulation is a means for students to learn in a safe environment and take better care of patients and that communication, interprofessional education, team reflection and collective competence are crucial for patient safety. We thank Professor Eppich and Associate Professor in Surgery and Academic Director of Clinical Simulation at RCSI Bahrain, Professor Nuha Birido, for enhancing the interprofessional workplace-based clinical education norms for the benefit of students, educators and patients.”

Royal Medical Services Commander, Major General Professor Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, commented: “We thank Professor Walter Eppich from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for sharing his vast expertise in clinical simulation and for highlighting the use of simulation in developing academic education for students and clinicians to enhance patient care.”

During the training course delivered to clinical educators of RCSI Bahrain and the Crown Prince Center for Training & Medical Research on ‘Debriefing Basics for Healthcare Professions Educators’, Professor Eppich promoted the concept of ‘psychological safety’ within the clinical workplace and simulation space. To work together effectively, he advised all participants to speak up and leverage the thoughtful collaboration of the diverse professions, experiences and perspectives available.

Professor Eppich explained: “When we build boundaries in the clinical workplace instead of embracing diversity, we amplify difficulties in speaking up. In my evidence-based research study of 70 simulation exercises, we measured that clinical performance, especially in larger teams, improves when the volume of team interactions and team reflections increases. The learning is that healthcare professionals need to be deliberate about collaborating with their peers in the clinical workplace to improve patient care.”

About Professor Walter Eppich, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)

In 2020, Professor Walter Eppich has been nominated as Professor and Chair of RCSI SIM Centre for Simulation Education and Research, with a goal to inform the global growth in experiential simulation-based learning in healthcare and other training and education sectors.

Prior to joining RCSI, Professor Eppich, MD, PhD directed the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators at Northwestern University, USA. He has taught extensively on basic and advanced simulation educator courses and serves as principal faculty at the Harvard Center for Medical Simulation. He served on the Board of Directors of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare from January 2012 to December 2014 and practiced paediatric emergency medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

In 2018, Professor Eppich earned a PhD in Health Professions Education from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His research programme uses qualitative methodologies to study conversational learning through debriefing, workplace interactions and team reflection. He collaborates with psychologists to study teamwork effectiveness in extreme environments and has travelled to Antarctica to perform field observations and interview research teams.