President's Message

President’s Message
Val Fulmer, ASPE President

Dear ASPE Members,

Despite the tenacity of winter weather in the US North East (see my backyard neighbor during our March snow in Pittsburgh below), I am turning my eyes toward summer and the June ASPE conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Past-President Grace Gephardt passed the baton to me in January and I am eager to work with the Board of Directors (BOD) and ASPE members during this exciting time in the history of our organization.  

To see details regarding the conference go to: http://www.aspeducators.org/2018-annual-conference

One of the tasks is to regularly update members regarding current BOD initiatives. Moving forward, the BOD team will also send updates regarding ongoing committee projects.

The ASPE BOD holds two annual face to face meetings: the first was in January, and the second will be in June, concurrent with the ASPE conference. Our January meeting immediately followed the Society for Simulation in Healthcare’s (SSH) International meeting. During our time together we focused on closing decision loops and developing action steps to move the organization further in leveraging ASPE’s unique strengths in the broader community of simulation education. Specifically, we identified projects that will strengthen our internal processes, provide a broader array of resources for members, and disseminate ASPE’s Standards of Best Practice (SOBP). More information about these initiatives is forthcoming. In the meantime, read our SOBPs at http://www.aspeducators.org/standards-of-best-practice- and more about our BOD at http://www.aspeducators.org/board-of-directors

Announcements: Vice President of Operations (VP of Ops) Tonya Thompson is working to streamline and leverage our agreements with affiliate organizations. At the IMSH conference, our agreement with SESAM was renewed. At the same time, ASPE was invited to send a plenary speaker to the SESAM conference in Bilbao, Spain, this June. The current SESAM president, David Grant, expressed the desire for a speaker who could connect the patient’s experience and an SP’s perspective, which is a perfect opportunity for ASPE’s pivotal role in patient simulation to shine.

Our ties with affiliates SSH and INACSL also continue to grow. Long time ASPE member and SSH president Joe Lopreiato is in close communication with our BOD. Representatives of ASPE will attend the joint SSH/INACSL upcoming regional conferences in April and May to participate in the larger conversation regarding SOBP in simulation practice and education. More can be found by visiting http://www.ssih.org/Events/RegionalWorkshops

A summary of ASPE’s SOBPs will be presented at the INACSL conference this year in Toronto by SOBP committee member Cathy Smith and VP of Finance Dena Higbee.

ASPE is developing relationships with two additional organizations this year. Building such ties to simulation associations internationally strengthens our connection to the global community and programs around the world. It helps in the expansion of the ASPE vision, promotes understanding and brings visibility and value to our expertise. To read more about our affiliations, go to http://www.aspeducators.org/association-affiliations

Karen Lewis (Tellyes Project Chair) and Dena Higbee (VP of Finance) are working with the Tellyes Project committee to finalize three courses to roll out in May, 2018. The courses have been revised according to feedback of our Tellyes partners and lessons learned at two pilot sessions. Thanks to the hard work of the ASPE members involved, ASPE is assisting in setting quality standards with our Chinese colleagues. This project was the topic of a recent BOD meeting where ASPE leadership answered questions about the evolving project‘s history and progress. Watch the ASPE newsletter for the Q&A details in the coming weeks. ASPE conference attendees who are curious about the Tellyes project, its history, parameters, and design may attend an information session at the ASPE conference. (Time and location TBD.)

Since 2015, ASPE leaders have sought to include SPs in shared conversations about the field of SP Methodology. The membership committee, led by Jen Owens, has been working hard on carving an appropriate space to ensure SPs‘ voices are heard. According to our by-laws, SPs are permitted to join the association as Affiliate Members, but because the cost of the main conference is prohibitive for most SPs, the BOD voted to move forward in building space on the ASPE website for content and other materials specific to the interests of SPs. Our hope is to encourage online participation and collaboration with SPs as affiliate members and provide them with a forum in which to connect with ASPE. Additionally, Grace Gephardt has volunteered to organize this year’s SP day programming at the ASPE conference in Kansas City. Please encourage SPs you know to join us at SP Day!

Thank you for being an ASPE member. My hope is to ensure that your membership is richly rewarding to you and your supporting organization. The passion that I see in this growing community of creative educators is exciting and powerful. I am eager to connect with as many of you as possible while we all forward this impactful field of education and research.

Val Fulmer, ASPE President

Publications 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.”

Please provide comments, questions or suggestions about the ASPE eNews Blog here.

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