Start by determining what skills/knowledge they need to know to effectively run a code in your facility, then determine what (if anything) they are lacking.
Work on those knowledge gaps before throwing them into a sim or they will not do well.
Come up with clear and measurable learning objectives (e.g., initiate chest compressions within X seconds, etc...).
Come up with realistic scenarios, not the unwinnable wild goose chases that many of us in EMS experienced in training. Your scenario should be designed around your objectives.
Provide a clear prebrief that outlines what they should expect during the simulation. You don't need to give them the answers beforehand, but they will retain much more information if they have the opportunity to review applicable topics before the sim. Explain that it is okay to make mistakes as they are in a learning environment. Psychological safety is key in simulation.
During the simulation, require them to physically do as many tasks as possible, like checking for a pulse, drawing up meds, placing pads, and verbalizing rhythms. If you just tell them to "pretend" for most of the skills, then there is no reason to go through all the work of doing a simulation.
Have a plan beforehand regarding the types of cues that you may need to provide for each stage of the scenario. Even the most high fidelity simulations still lack full immersion, so things that would typically be caught in real life might go unnoticed in simulation. Novice clinicians will typically need more cues than the experienced, so be ready for that. Keep notes on things they appear to struggle with as it will come in handy for the debrief and will allow you to know what to work on next time.
Test drive the simulation before going live. This will help you find inconsistencies and problems beforehand so you can correct them.
Be prepared for the scenario to go off the course you expected. I've facilitated hundreds of simulations, most of which I designed, and I'm always fascinated to watch how people can take a scenario to a totally different place than I intended. Keep in mind this isn't always a bad thing.
Do a proper debrief. This doesn't mean lecturing them on what they did wrong; you should be facilitating a conversation between the participants to promote self reflection. Adult leaners retain more when they are able to come to a conclusion themselves rather than being lectured. I typically use the PEARLS debriefing method, but there are many others to choose from. There are a lot of literature and videos on debriefing methods that will come in handy.

Source: my masters degree is in healthcare simulation 🤓

10 points RocKetamine
Start by determining what skills/knowledge they need to know to effectively run a code in your facility, then determine what (if anything) they are lacking.

Work on those knowledge gaps before throwing them into a sim or they will not do well.

Come up with clear and measurable learning objectives (e.g., initiate chest compressions within X seconds, etc...).

Come up with realistic scenarios, not the unwinnable wild goose chases that many of us in EMS experienced in training. Your scenario should be designed around your objectives.

Provide a clear prebrief that outlines what they should expect during the simulation. You don't need to give them the answers beforehand, but they will retain much more information if they have the opportunity to review applicable topics before the sim. Explain that it is okay to make mistakes as they are in a learning environment. Psychological safety is key in simulation.

During the simulation, require them to physically do as many tasks as possible, like checking for a pulse, drawing up meds, placing pads, and verbalizing rhythms. If you just tell them to "pretend" for most of the skills, then there is no reason to go through all the work of doing a simulation.

Have a plan beforehand regarding the types of cues that you may need to provide for each stage of the scenario. Even the most high fidelity simulations still lack full immersion, so things that would typically be caught in real life might go unnoticed in simulation. Novice clinicians will typically need more cues than the experienced, so be ready for that. Keep notes on things they appear to struggle with as it will come in handy for the debrief and will allow you to know what to work on next time.

Test drive the simulation before going live. This will help you find inconsistencies and problems beforehand so you can correct them.

Be prepared for the scenario to go off the course you expected. I've facilitated hundreds of simulations, most of which I designed, and I'm always fascinated to watch how people can take a scenario to a totally different place than I intended. Keep in mind this isn't always a bad thing.

Do a proper debrief. This doesn't mean lecturing them on what they did wrong; you should be facilitating a conversation between the participants to promote self reflection. Adult leaners retain more when they are able to come to a conclusion themselves rather than being lectured. I typically use the PEARLS debriefing method, but there are many others to choose from. There are a lot of literature and videos on debriefing methods that will come in handy.

Source: my masters degree is in healthcare simulation 🤓

2 points stonertear

Yep with 10, for us the debrief needs to be meaningful. We allow the same if not longer time frame than the scenario took itself

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