Released April 17, 2026

About the Webinar

This webinar explores the fundamentals of simulation design in nursing education. Expert simulationists break down the core components of the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice, offering practical guidance on needs assessment, learning objectives, fidelity, pre-briefing, debriefing, and evaluation to help educators build consistent, high-quality simulation experiences.

Webinar Recording

Webinar Audio

Webinar Summary

The OADN Simulation Committee webinar explored the fundamentals of simulation design, making the case that strong design principles remain the backbone of effective nursing education despite advancing technologies. Returning to fundamentals ensures consistency, educational integrity, and equitable learner outcomes across instructors and programs.

The Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice Design Standard is a framework that guides educators in creating intentional, learner-centered experiences through thoughtful planning, measurable objectives, and evidence-based scenario development.

The needs assessment is a critical first step, grounding simulation design in actual learner needs rather than assumptions. Multiple data sources were explored for identifying gaps that simulation can meaningfully address. Scope and complexity must align with the learner developmental level to create productive challenge without tipping into cognitive overload.

The panel also discussed purposeful fidelity selection, pilot testing as a "dress rehearsal," and pre-briefing to establish psychological safety, clarify expectations, and support the fiction contract. Debriefing, framed as the heart of simulation, follows three phases: reaction, analysis, and summary, transforming experience into transferable learning. Evaluation rounded out the discussion as a frequently overlooked component, one that should account for student performance, simulation fidelity, and facilitator effectiveness alike.

The panel closed by addressing virtual simulation, advice to balance modalities against learner needs and objectives, and to verify Board requirements before substituting VR for clinical hours.

View a PDF of the webinar summary:
https://www.unboundmedicine.com/ann/webinars/2026/HSSOBP_Simulation_Design...

About The Presenters

PANELIST:

Janeen Berndt, DNP, RN, CNE, CHSE

Dr. Janeen Berndt, a Certified Nurse Educator since 2006, brings over a decade of expertise in online nursing education, competency-based learning, and patient simulation to higher education. Her notable achievements include leading undergraduate nursing programs through the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding virtual learning in prelicensure education, improving clinical experiences through high-fidelity simulation, and holding multiple certifications while serving as President of the Psi Upsilon Chapter of Sigma and Chair of the OADN VSR reviewer task force.

PANELIST:

Sami Rahman, MEd, MSN, RN

Sami Rahman, Director of Simulation and Clinical Labs at Blinn College Health Science Center, is a highly experienced Registered Nurse with 40 years of diverse nursing experience and has been instrumental in developing and integrating simulation into the college’s curriculum. She has received multiple awards for her teaching excellence, actively contributes to OADN through presentations and committee service, and continues to advance nursing education through her work in simulation and collaboration across various health science programs.

PANELIST:

Marci Dial, PhD, DNP, RN, PMGT-BC, CHSE, LNC

Dr. Marci Dial is a Tenured Professor of Nursing and Course Lead at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. She has 30 years of clinical nursing experience and 20 years of experience in healthcare simulation and nursing education. She has achieved dual doctoral status in nursing with a PhD from the University of Central Florida with a research focus in mindfulness and simulation-based learning (SBL) and a DNP from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a concentration in advanced clinical practice.

PANELIST:

Diane Lynn Bradley, MS, RN, CNE, CHSE

Diane, a Registered Nurse for over 38 years, holds a BSN and MS in Exercise Physiology (West Virginia University) and an MS in Nursing Education (Walden University). Her clinical background spans various medical-surgical units, cardiac rehab, acute inpatient rehab, home health, and hospice. A Delaware Technical Community College instructor since 2007, she’s been involved with simulation since 2009, spurred by a NLN scholarship. Currently, she participates in all campus simulation activities and is a Certified Nurse Educator and Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator.

PANELIST:

Christine Heid, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE

Dr. Christine "Christy" Heid is an experienced nurse educator, innovator, and simulationist with a PhD in Nursing and over two decades of experience. She has significantly contributed to nursing education, focusing on simulation-based learning, the integration of innovative technologies, and the development of clinical judgment. Dr. Heid created the Heid ATE Guide for Clinical Teaching and Learning© to build nurses’ clinical judgment skills. Her extensive committee involvement includes serving as the former Chair of the INACSL Education Committee and contributing to the Cornerstones of Best Practice. Her work promotes innovative teaching, simulation-based competency evaluation, and deep learning across academic and practice settings to improve healthcare outcomes.

See Also

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