Clinical Simulation Unit

Medical simulation is defined as the application of realistic simulation activities in medical training, assessment, or research in a way that serves patient safety. The concept of healthcare simulation is based on the principle of “never the first time on a patient.” It provides a safe and controlled environment for students of health colleges to practice and refine their skills, thereby improving clinical competence, decision-making, and teamwork. It also plays an important role in medical education and enhances patient safety and the quality of healthcare by allowing the acquisition of experience before dealing with real patients.

Medical simulation is often defined as a technique (rather than a technology) aimed at replacing and enhancing real-life experiences with guided experiences. It evokes or replicates essential aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner, enabling the repetition of clinical scenarios or therapeutic procedures in a safe environment.

The origins of simulation can be traced back to its applications in the military and aviation fields. In 1920, Edward Link introduced simulation to aviation through the flight training device known as the “Blue Box.” High-reliability industries such as aviation, the military, and nuclear energy have placed great importance on training human resources and have made simulation-based training an essential requirement. Efforts to transfer lessons learned from these fields to the healthcare sector and the education of future healthcare professionals began in the 1990s and early 2000s. Simulation training concepts used in aviation were gradually applied in anesthesiology and later extended to other medical fields such as intensive care, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics.

The Clinical Simulation Unit at the University of Tabuk was established and equipped in 2018 as an initiative by the College of Medicine. It was inaugurated that same year under the patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Education, Professor Dr. Hamad bin Mohammed Al-Sheikh, and the then President of the University, Professor Dr. Abdullah bin Mufarrih Al-Dhiyabi. Other health colleges later joined the unit, and it has since been incorporated into the university’s organizational structure as one of the units (affiliated with the Vice Presidency for Educational Affairs).