SIMBA @ ENOTHE 2023

As the first year of the SIMBA project gradually comes to a close, members of the SIMBA team were more than excited to meet at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE) in Oviedo, Spain in October. Despite having worked together intensively over the past two years on developing the project, submitting a proposal for an Erasmus+ grant and conducting the first tasks across three Work Packages, this meeting marked the first time that many of us were meeting ‘in person’. As such, it was a valuable opportunity to get to know one another in a more personal setting, reflect on our experiences on the project thus far and plan the next steps together.

Active SIMBA participation at ENOTHE

Several members of the project team were active participants in the conference program. On behalf of the entire SIMBA team, partners from Zdravstveno Veleučilište in Croatia (Claire Sangster Jokić, Andreja Bartolac and Ivana Klepo) and AP Hogeschool Antwerpen in Belgium (Laurence Magerat) presented a poster on the work completed to date in Work package Two, which has culminated in the preparation of first drafts of a Framework of professional occupational therapy competencies and Guidelines for the implementation of simulation-based learning in OT education. Partners from FH Joanneum (Julia Unger & Katrin Pechstädt) held an oral presentation in which they presented the results of a systematic review of the literature on simulation-based assessment in occupational therapy conducted in Work Package Three.

Impressions from the field

Over the course of the conference, we had much opportunity to share knowledge, experience, and insights with colleagues from throughout Europe about the potential of simulation-based learning and assessment in occupational therapy education, both during formal conference presentations and informal discussions over coffee or lunch. We were encouraged by the strong and enthusiastic interest expressed by both educators and students in developing and applying simulation for supporting professional competence development in OT education. We also gained valuable insight into current needs, practices, and challenges for successfully achieving this aim. While many colleagues reported using various forms and modalities of simulation in their own education programmes, the current lack of theory- and evidence-based frameworks, guidelines and/or tools for implementing simulation in occupational therapy education was a concern shared by many. This provided support for the overall aim of the SIMBA project and, for us, was strong confirmation of the potential value and relevance of the resources that this project aims to develop over the coming years.

Going forward: Planning next tasks

In the midst of the busy conference schedule, the SIMBA team managed to meet with the Heads of the OT Departments from each project partner. The aim of this meeting was to inform Department Heads of the activities to be conducted in each partner programme and initiate planning for the implementation of simulation scenarios and assessments during the 2024/2025 academic year. The meeting also provided an opportunity for discussion and planning for the project activities planned in this academic year, including finalization of the Framework and Guidelines, and development of the assessment tool and simulation scenarios using information collected through systematic literature reviews, focus groups and good practice visits.  

A productive and pleasant experience

In the beautiful city of Oviedo, it was wonderful to share the work and vision of the SIMBA project with occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and students from throughout Europe, to soak up the academic and collegial atmosphere of the conference, and to celebrate World Occupational Therapy Day with our SIMBA colleagues.  

While we missed not being able to share this experience with SIMBA partners who were unable to be at the conference, we are very much looking forward to a live meeting with the full project consortium in Zagreb in January, 2024!