Simulation-based Mastery Learning: Efficacy, Clinical Outcomes, and Documenting Proficiency

Jeffrey H. Barsuk, MD, MS, SFHM is the Robert Hirschtick Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In 2010, he completed a Master’s of Science Degree in Clinical Investigation. He also completed a certificate program in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. Barsuk currently serves as the Executive Medical Director of Northwestern Simulation.
Dr. Barsuk focused the last 17 years of his research on optimizing student, physician, nurse, and patient clinical performance using simulation technology. These efforts have been based on the mastery learning theoretical framework, and his research team uses rigorous, validated standards for healthcare provider training. His team has published over 100 articles on this topic that demonstrate how this training approach improves clinical skills and patient care and outcomes while lowering healthcare costs. Additionally, his research group has recently published a book entitled, Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Mastery Learning in Health Professions Education. Dr. Barsuk’s research has been funded by several private and government organizations including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institutes of Health.

Lance W. Baily, BA, EMT-B is the Founder / CEO of HealthySimulation.com, the world’s leading healthcare simulation resource website which supports thousands healthcare professionals a month. As an experienced entrepreneur, digital media producer and administrative professional, Lance has the background and the experience necessary to help guide the clinical simulation industry to mass adoption.

Lance is also the Founder of SimGHOSTS.org, the leading 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals operating clinical simulation technologies which has organized over twenty hands-on training conferences around the globe since 2011. His co-edited  book “Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Operations, Technology, and Innovative Practice” provides 400 pages of in-depth articles supporting the technical integration of medical simulation in any sized program.

Formerly he served as Director of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas, Simulation Technician for the LA Community College District, and volunteer Fire-Fighter, after receiving his BA in Film and Digital Media Production and working on Hollywood production sets. He currently lives with his wife and two young daughters in Las Vegas.

Melissa Jo Tully, BSN, MHPE, RN-BC, is a highly accomplished healthcare professional with a passion for education and patient safety. With a Master’s degree in Health Professional Education from the College of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, Melissa has honed her expertise in developing innovative programs to enhance healthcare performance and quality. As an experienced nurse, Melissa followed her passion for lifelong learning by exploring nursing specialties through her early nursing career as a float nurse, including working in critical care, emergency room, labor and delivery, and hospice. Melissa launched her career in consulting, by starting Medical Simulation Consulting. Her firm’s primary focus lies in designing, developing, and evaluating simulation programs that integrate augmented and virtual reality technology, as well as audiovisual technologies.