By: Amy Rush, Center for Healthcare Improvement and Patient Simulation at University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Our thirteenth ASPE president Dr. Lou Clark gave the ASPE president address during the opening session of the 2024 ASPE Conference in Vancouver, B.C. on Sunday, June 23. She began by acknowledging the work Jen Owens did as conference chair, not only for this ASPE conference, but for the past four years. She read a message on behalf of the current conference committee, thanking Owens for her, “exceptional service as the ASPE conference chair.” Clark then gave a talk called, “Our Story.” She highlighted ASPE’s mission and its members. We currently have 918 members from 44 countries and 65 are Canadian members! She recognized the 16 ASPE Board of Directors.

We who are a part of ASPE have unique backgrounds that support our mission. “We all come from unique backgrounds and all those unique professions come together to support patient storytelling through SP Methodology and it’s a powerful thing that we do,” Clark said. She led the people in the room in an activity during which we gathered with someone we didn’t know well to share our unique professional background for two minutes. However, we enjoyed talking so much that we talked for twice as long! “For those of you who are first-time attendees at ASPE, you don’t really know how dangerous what I just did was,” Clark joked. The activity highlighted that we, as an organization, are a multifaceted, interdisciplinary, interprofessional, talented group of experts. “You are experts in your own right – you are experts in SP methodology.” After a quick review of the history of SP Education as a profession, Clark reminded us that as we professionalize our organization with publications about SP methodology and the Standards of Best Practice, we must remember our challenge to recognize the hidden labor of SP Education.

We celebrated that ASPE conferences are the place where we don’t have to explain our job! She explained that people see the tips of the iceberg of our work at our simulation centers and that below the “water” one may find hours and hours we spend to make simulations happen. We as an organization need to translate that recognition of the work we do – our unique contributions and values. The hidden work we do is critical. ASPE is working to help others recognize our roles and translate that to compensation and job classification. Clark discussed a collaboration between ASPE and SimGHOSTS, INACSL, and SSH as a joint initiative to advocate to establish criteria for U.S. Department of Labor Standard Occupational Classification codes for healthcare simulation professionals. This would formalize recognition of our professions. Another initiative is an inclusion of “SP Educator” in the third edition of the Healthcare Simulation Dictionary. An invited editorial in the Simulation in Healthcare Journal will be forthcoming, urging people to promote a cultural shift to stop using the phrase “use SPs.” Clark emphasized that we want to partner, work and collaborate with SPs. “It’s incredibly important,” she said, “because, when we use people, that’s a safety risk. When we ‘use’ SPs and SPs are seen as inert tools, that’s a safety risk.” Clark announced that in May of 2025 in Montreal, ASPE will host a Human Simulation Research Forum. Members of the team who collaborated on the editorial in the journal and members of the ASPE Grants and Research committee will help lead the event. “We want this to be the most inclusive event we can make it.” Clark invited ASPE immediate Past President Dr. Shawn Galin to address the crowd at the opening session. He unveiled his Past-President’s Project, which aligns to ASPE’s strategic pillars. In order to elevate SP programs around the world, ASPE, being the world’s most respected authority on human simulation, plans to begin an accreditation process. Galin shared with us the project mission: “As the global leader in human simulation, ASPE will provide a distinctive accreditation pathway for recognition of programs and institutions that demonstrate an ongoing commitment and adherence to best practices of SP Methodology.” The ASPE Accreditation in Human Simulation has been developed with Galin, including the Accreditation Advisory Council, including the ASPE Executive Committee, the Board of Directors and the Application Task Force. The application process is scheduled to begin October 2024.

Communications and Connections Committee Mission: “To bring high quality reporting of current research, trends, techniques and information regarding SP methodology and other relevant industry articles to the attention of the membership through the web-based ASPE eNews blog.”

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