Simulation for Pediatric Physical Therapy Education: Exploring the Evidence and Creating Innovative Scenarios

In 2020, the Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy put out a call to investigate effective teaching and learning strategies in the field of pediatric physical therapy education (Moerchen et al., 2020). Specifically, the use of simulation was cited as a point of interest. This learning session is designed to bridge the gap in knowledge translation from theory into practice for pediatric physical therapy educators. The purpose of this course is to provide strategies and ideas for simulation activities which educators can employ in their pediatric physical therapy curriculum. The interactive presentation will begin with a brief review of the literature to support the use of simulation in physical therapy education and related fields. Simulation design will be described with specific focus on feasibility of pediatric scenarios, fidelity (high and low tech), and delivery method (remote vs. face-to-face). The presenters will share various examples of pediatric physical therapy simulations currently used within a DPT program, including ones that address interprofessional collaboration within the subspecialty. Participants will collaborate with peers and the presenters to create an outline for a simulation to fit their own needs. Our goal is for participants to feel confident in exploring the use of simulation within their courses regardless of their programmatic resources.