The 2021 SimWars Competition recently took place virtually via Zoom, using the Virtual Resus Room platform.
The competition was hosted by University Hospital Limerick /University of Limerick and broadcast from the Clinical Education and Research Centre. The all-Ireland contest featured participants from all seven universities on the island and a record 110 medical and nursing students took part.
‘Flu Fighters Strike Back,’ representing University of Limerick School of Medicine, were crowned 2021 SimWars champions having just edged-out University College Cork’s ‘The COX Blockers’ and RCSI’s ‘Thoracic Park’ in the most competitive final in SimWars’s history.
The judging panel this year included nearly 40 healthcare providers across a range of disciplines including consultants and NCHDs in emergency medicine, anaesthesia, and general medicine, as well as nursing, pre-hospital personnel and other healthcare educators.
One of the judges, Dr Sinéad Ní Bhraonáin, Consultant in Emergency Medicine (EM) at The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, remarked: “The participants were so enthusiastic, showing excellent clinical acumen and communication skills. They really did themselves and their universities proud. The future of EM is very exciting!”
SimWars is an intervarsity simulation resuscitation competition involving medical and nursing students from universities across the island of Ireland. It was created by Dr James Condren and Dr Tiarnán Byrne in 2017 when they were final-year medical students at University College Dublin. Both are now core specialist trainees on the National Emergency Medicine Training Scheme.
Clinical assessment and management of simulated patients who require resuscitation in addition to communication, teamwork and leadership are all evaluated. The interest and participation in SimWars have progressively increased year on year.
The IAEM congratulated SimWars on the successful delivery of the yearly competition in a virtual format in 2021. The Association said it looks forward to the competition in 2022, when it is hoped it will be able to return to being live and in-person as originally intended.
The Association has committed to continue to support this innovative and exciting competition on an ongoing basis.
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