Dr. Kyle Schoppell, University of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Michelle Hughes, University of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Andrew Steinfeldt, University of Wisconsin Department of Emergency Medicine
Michael Kim, WI EMS for Children
Simulation is one of the most powerful tools in EMS education - but only when done with intention. Too often it becomes a performance: providers run a scenario, someone says good job, and everyone moves on. Nothing changes. This workshop starts from a different premise: real learning happens in the debrief, and scenario design determines whether the debrief has anything worth talking about. The session opens with a didactic block on simulation design. Participants learn to build scenarios backward from learning objectives - starting with what providers need to be able to do, then constructing the patient presentation and decision points that surface those skills under pressure. We cover how physical, conceptual, and psychological fidelity shape the learner's experience, and how to calibrate each to your resources. From there, we focus on debriefing - specifically, the concept of the learner's frame. Drawing on Debriefing with Good Judgment, participants learn that every action a provider takes during a scenario makes sense to them in the moment, given their mental model and assumptions. The debriefer's job is not to tell learners what went wrong - it is to surface why they did what they did. Understand the frame, and you can help the learner reframe it. That is where lasting change happens. With that foundation in place, participants step into the sim room and rotate through two hands-on stations - pediatric airway and respiratory compromise, cardiac arrest, facilitated and debriefed using the techniques from the didactic block. The team will then take time to “debrief the debrief” to further discuss and gain insight into the process of providing high fidelity simulation. The experience is dual: they are working a real pediatric emergency while feeling what skilled facilitation and advocacy-inquiry debriefing look like from the learner's seat. Participants leave with sharpened pediatric clinical skills, a concrete simulation design framework, and the language to debrief in a way that actually changes practice.
840 Armed Forces Dr
Ashwaubenon, WI 54304
United States
2. Describe the components of a structured debrief and explain how debriefing technique influences skill retention and team performance.
3. Demonstrate appropriate assessment and management of a pediatric patient in respiratory distress, including airway positioning, BVM ventilation, and recognition of decompensation.
4. Apply a systematic team-based approach to pediatric cardiac arrest, including high-quality CPR, appropriate airway management, and rhythm recognition within their scope of practice.
5. Execute a primary and secondary trauma assessment on a pediatric patient and identify life-threatening injuries requiring immediate intervention.
6. Outline a plan for implementing simulation-based training within their own EMS agency or department using the facilitation framework presented in this workshop.
At the end of this session, the participants will be able to: