The Ultimate Christmas List for Simulationists

This episode of Simulation Nation discusses various items that could make perfect Christmas gifts for those involved in healthcare simulation. Amy and Megan have a lively discussion, sharing thoughts on the newest simulation technologies, emphasizing the anticipation for new releases and innovations. They also touch upon the challenges of managing time and meals within the simulation control room, humorously mentioning DoorDash gift cards as a solution.

The conversation transitions into the importance of specialized merchandise for simulation enthusiasts, such as simulation-themed T-shirts and courses like moulage training for creating realistic effects. They discuss the practicality and impact of these tools within the simulation environment, highlighting the need for cost-effective and hygienic simulation materials.

The hosts explore self-care and relaxation ideas for simulation professionals, including spa treatments and temperature-controlled smart travel mugs for enjoying hot coffee during busy work hours. They also caution against unapproved enhancements in simulation scenarios, emphasizing the need for proper protocols when incorporating realistic elements.

Overall, the discussion revolves around thoughtful and practical gifts for those involved in simulation work, showcasing a mix of technological advancements, training resources, and personal care items. The hosts encourage engagement from their audience, seeking input on additional gift ideas for simulation professionals while sharing warm holiday wishes.

If you enjoyed our guide to Implementing Psychological Safety, check out more episodes of Simulation Nation below, and subscribe to our podcast and Youtube so you never miss an episode!

Full Transcript:

00;00;00;00 – 00;00;15;26
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This episode of Simulation Nation is brought to you by Santa’s workshop making toys for all the little girls and boys.

00;00;15;29 – 00;00;37;14
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Hello everybody, and welcome to Simulation Nation. Today we are going to be talking about simulation as ultimate Christmas gift we put out on social media to find out what you guys would add to your list. And we’re going to go through them each one by one. All right. This is exciting. All right. A little stocking up. Our little stocking here at toys here.

00;00;37;15 – 00;01;01;07
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All right, so you pull first. Okay. And we’re just going to in no particular order. Yeah, no order here. Newest simulation technology. I feel so planted. Yes. I wasn’t planted. I literally just picked it up. You can see inside there’s just a whole bunch of them in here. So what would you say We talked about this for Amos H?

00;01;01;07 – 00;01;20;29
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Where the newest simulation technologies are. But yeah, I think that there’s going to be a lot of new cool stuff that’s coming out in Amos H this year. I know that it is after Christmas, but yeah, it is. It’s a little after Christmas. But, you know, as it’s age is doing a lot of emphasis on people who are presenting something for the very first time or they’ve never presented a different product or things like that.

00;01;20;29 – 00;01;40;11
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So I’m hoping that we’re going to see a lot of new things out at IMSH with a lot of new ideas. Yeah, and again, a lot of people have the Avbirth, which is Avkin’s latest simulation technology on their Christmas list. So it’s exciting. And I think that there are some really cool things that you guys are going to find as you travel the exhibit hall.

00;01;40;18 – 00;01;57;25
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Yeah. IMSH And we will also be doing lives each day. So if you’re not able to attend iMessage, we will be giving you updates on what’s going on at the exhibit hall floor, as well as the different exciting things that are happening each day. So if you can’t make it there, tune into those lives. Yeah. All right. But everybody does want the newest simulation technology.

00;01;58;02 – 00;02;28;04
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Not always can afford it, but it’s on the list. It’s on the list and it brings it. All right. DoorDash gift card, because who has time for lunch, That is. Or to go get lunch? Yes. Or even to step out of the control room to go get lunch. But yes, I think that is very true that in simulation you either need to remember your lunch and have it close by or you are going to have to doordash it because to go out and actually get anything usually feels impossible.

00;02;28;09 – 00;02;51;06
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Also, on college campuses, I feel like it’s always so hard to get where you need to go if you are trying to go out to get well. Something that we saw at Fairfield University, which was really cool was they have DoorDash robots or whatever it was. It wasn’t like that. Those things frequent, but it is. But I mean again sure but better it iRobot I just I don’t like it I don’t like it one bit.

00;02;51;07 – 00;02;55;28
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Where do they have to tip them then because that does that save them some money on DoorDash.

00;02;55;28 – 00;02;58;22
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Maybe that could be great. I thought about that.

00;02;58;25 – 00;03;00;18
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That’s the only thing I’m that’s not a real person.

00;03;00;18 – 00;03;22;17
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But they’re going to take over the world. I just. I don’t like it. We’re giving them wheels. We’re making them mobile. Okay, so putting an address next to robots. I don’t love it. I don’t know why. What I wonder is how many DoorDash drivers know where the control rooms are in simulation. I’m sure they do. I’m sure that it’s like a Yeah, but if there’s a nightmare, if you’re ordering every single time, that’s true, that you may be friends with them.

00;03;22;19 – 00;03;42;24
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They may be friends. Yeah. Eventually. I mean, again, it’s not that small. Our college campuses, that might be something that actually happens. I know I very rarely ever went out to lunch or went to even go get lunch was absolute desperation to do something like that. And that was way before DoorDash. So we we I definitely packed and ate it in the control room pretty much most of the time.

00;03;42;24 – 00;04;01;13
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That’s controversial as well. I’ve heard that people say all the time, you cannot have food in the control rooms or in simulation rooms. Well, we did a lot of SP simulation and manikin based simulation. I could see where potentially you could spill something and mess up the technology. It wasn’t supposed to have it in that in that SIM center, like in that like skills area or whatever.

00;04;01;13 – 00;04;26;20
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Obviously they say for the AV equipment, like with the computers and stuff, Yeah. Well, I don’t know. I mean I did see your policy. I shouldn’t admit that out loud, that’s for sure. All right, you pick the next one. Okay. This as a headache relief cap. I don’t know if this capsule’s nor the cap that you wear.

00;04;26;22 – 00;04;41;01
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And it’ll massage your head. I looked it up. It’s. I do have, like, cold presses and stuff, but it’s like that they’ll do stuff on, like, your pressure points. Are you serious? Yeah. You put it on your head. It’s supposed to help relieve it without needing to take, like, medicine and stuff like that. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

00;04;41;01 – 00;05;05;23
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They look awfully silly. It’s on Amazon. Yeah. Yeah, you do look silly, but I think that it’s. I don’t think that’s the point. I think that. Yeah, it’s not for style, it’s for. Yeah. And I think this is kind of said tongue in cheek Right. Is that assimilation is there are a lot of things that happen that, you know things break down or some you know your your products go off of Wi-Fi and you’ve got to reboot everything, whatever it is.

00;05;05;26 – 00;05;27;07
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There’s glitches in the system. I know from where I worked Mondays and raining equals nightmare or excitement. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So I can imagine that a headache relief cap would be nice to have on hand in on such a days. I just don’t know if you could wear that in some. Definitely not only in the control room where nobody could see you and then you just take it off.

00;05;27;07 – 00;05;40;04
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But then if you have other people in the control room with you, then you kind of look. But then everyone has one now and then you just have all five. the control room wearing it. That’s a that’s a potential. Yeah. And maybe this is for Semtex, you know, maybe they’re the ones that submitted this one the most.

00;05;40;05 – 00;06;03;02
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I don’t know. I didn’t could, I didn’t have the Semtex so I could get that. All right, Simulation s t shirt. this is a good one. We’ve had lots and lots of requests for this. Yes, Everybody wants the Atkins simulation. Is t shirt are available on our website if anybody’s interested. But they do have the definition of being a simulation that’s on them.

00;06;03;08 – 00;06;35;10
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Yeah. And insider tip or trick or whatever. And for info is we are eventually going to be short and short. The short term going to be getting a SIM tech now. So ops me the new one that we are being put out for that popular demand. Yeah. A lot of requests for that. Ready. Yeah. So that’s exciting. So and I think I think the big reason why people love it so much I know the reason why I love it so much is because I don’t think we’re always understood where we work.

00;06;35;13 – 00;06;55;00
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I don’t think we’re all people understand the length of it. I can remember one of the senior associate deans asking me to basically give a time accounting for what I do, and I literally took screenshots of my Google calendar and sent them to her and it was like literally every day, Monday to Friday, but with simulations because I love doing it so much.

00;06;55;00 – 00;07;16;14
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But I also probably took away one more on than I should. So I think the idea of just like, hey, like we have to build in bio brakes, you know, we have to we have to think about lunch. Yeah, you know, get an hour for lunch. Yeah. And I think that it’s, it’s, it’s a different job description than most other faculty positions within the institutions.

00;07;16;14 – 00;07;33;08
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And so I think just being able to wear that and like, can you read the back of my shirt please? But I think that it’s also like there’s very little merch and other things that go out. I think that there’s not a lot of things that are sold. I don’t think there’s a lot of options. Like if you look up nursing and things like that, there’s a lot of things that come up about being a bedside nurse.

00;07;33;08 – 00;07;50;11
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But I as a simulation as it is so niche that there’s very little people who put things out. So those were something that was really important to us to make sure that we had different merch that could go out as well as stickers, things along those like really celebrated simulation as well. And I think I think that really important piece of that is we really spend a lot of time thinking about it.

00;07;50;11 – 00;08;12;04
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It’s not like just like, let’s get simulation is didn’t scroll lettering and stick it on a shirt. We spent time to try to, you know, better define the area and do some tongue in cheek fun things. But even the stickers are created in that way. So yeah, love those. Maybe the stocking stuffer can be the stickers and the gift can be the shirt.

00;08;12;04 – 00;08;37;22
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Go that for sure. I would do the next one. Did you do that one? Okay, this is a11 temperature controlled smart travel mug because coffee gets cold. Yeah, I heard that many times that you don’t drink coffee, but I am not. I’m an I work nightshift as a nurse, an air nurse for almost 30 years and could never get caught.

00;08;37;22 – 00;09;01;22
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I mean, I tried I tried so hard, but Coke Zero was my drinking history kit. Now I know. Yeah, well, I actually do drink it a little bit. Now with protein, they get the protein mix protein drink in it that’s much more palatable. It’s like half chocolate, protein drink and half coffee that’s got a coffee that’s got sweetener in it and creamer in it.

00;09;01;22 – 00;09;19;12
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But yeah, I just never could get it down. Yeah. But I think that that’s the things that typically in simulation you don’t get to drink your coffee hot. I think that’s a well luxury. Yeah. And I think that I mean especially if you think about if you can’t have it in the control room. I don’t even know. I don’t even I don’t even know how you get sustenance in, in the control room.

00;09;19;12 – 00;09;39;26
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Yeah. Like, well, anyway, God bless you all. If you are able to schedule lunch breaks and coffee breaks. But the you know, the idea of having a temperature controlled coffee mug or even like one of those little hot plates that you can put your coffee on to keep it hot. You know, I can imagine that that is even with some ups.

00;09;39;26 – 00;10;01;11
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I think that they’re always on the run more than any anyone else. Probably. Probably they’re just going I mean, where I worked, they were going to two different buildings, you know, in different parts of campuses. So who knows? But yeah, I can definitely see that being a big request for for a gift. All right. HealthySim moulage course.

00;10;01;14 – 00;10;20;27
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Yeah. So healthy. Sam has a lot of really great courses, a lot of things to do with today’s patients. You know, they have more on new large they have some practical information on there. But there are courses are really great. I believe they offer see for the majority of those paid courses. But yeah, I highly recommend looking into healthy science classes for that.

00;10;20;27 – 00;10;39;00
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They have a lot of really great options with a lot of experts that really know the field. So I highly recommend that. Yeah, and I think, you know, when you think about taking a course, it’s almost like you get on Pinterest and you’re like, I never thought about doing it this way. I never thought about using it this way.

00;10;39;02 – 00;10;56;08
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Do you know who teaches that one? No. I wonder if it’s David Ship Black. Yeah, I’m not sure. I just know that there’s a much larger. Just know that with mu large too. There are a lot of things that are just tips and tricks that go into it, but it’s really you don’t have to be that crazy talented.

00;10;56;08 – 00;11;11;04
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No, it really is that there there is a lot that goes into it and it’s definitely an art, But just know that for me, particularly like there are a lot of things of just being able to learn from people who have a lot of experience that kind of have these little insider info. But it is a lot easier.

00;11;11;04 – 00;11;34;15
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You don’t have to be super talented. Well, and I think it is to be able to do it. It’s also not super expensive, like Megan did one for Halloween and she made her hand like it was like a zombie hand. And you used for the bones, the exposed bones. It was Q-tips. And for just liquid latex, Q-tips. I used rolled oats.

00;11;34;15 – 00;11;50;02
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So if you just buy oats and then put that with the liquid latex, it looks like kind of more fleshy. And then you just add in the skin tone that you want and then adding some blood and bruising and things like that. But so it’s really not it doesn’t require, you know, fancy stuff, but it just the tips and tricks.

00;11;50;02 – 00;12;10;24
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That’s really what it is. It is you have to learn the instead of like the IKEA hacks for Pinterest. But, you know, Moulin Rouge and again, like tissue paper or toilet paper was something that people used. Again, there’s just it’s just it’s very low cost, but if you can get that course with with for healthy Sam, then you know, it’s not going to cost much more than that.

00;12;10;24 – 00;12;12;06
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So it would be a great gift.

00;12;12;06 – 00;12;28;09
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And like you said, Healthy Sam has a ton of courses available that do have continuing education credit. And they they also have ones that marketing education that you don’t you don’t have to pay for. But I’m sure the more large one is comes at a cost.

00;12;28;09 – 00;12;29;12
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It is it my turn again?

00;12;29;14 – 00;12;52;10
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gosh, I’m not paying any attention. I apologize. Well, we have this available. This says realistic simulated mucus. You know, I feel like this is a consistent request by certain people, though I feel like a lot of people get very grossed out by this. Are not a well, you either are a big fan of this one bodily fluids you come you pick your poison.

00;12;52;12 – 00;13;13;24
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So I will say, you know, there was a lot of times where people would trade off changing a patient with other body fluids and I would go in and suction their patient or whatever because it didn’t bother me at all. But the really cool thing about Avkin’s simulated mucus is if I have a shameless plug here is it’s all antimicrobial and antibacterial.

00;13;13;26 – 00;13;38;04
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So there is times where I found options or read about options online, about realistic simulated mucus and things like putting them. And I would put it so that the students would have something to suction, clean it out. And then when I got back after this, the you know, the break, whether it was summer break or winter break, I was actually cleaning mold out of that artificial lung.

00;13;38;05 – 00;14;10;00
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So antimicrobial, antibacterial, simulated bodily fluids are really, really important. And we I actually worked with one of the chemistry students at the university to create the formula for the simulated mucus. So if you are going to utilize some type of simulated mucus, I highly recommend you ensure, especially if you’re utilizing it, any of your technology, that you are utilizing it as antimicrobial, antibacterial and that is available on the FDA website if you’re interested.

00;14;10;00 – 00;14;40;08
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Another shameless plug. Well, we already plugged it, so now we’re just telling them where to find it. I grew up to spa treatment. So I feel like everyone at the end of the semester should just have a bringing the misuse into the lab. Yeah, Everybody. Yeah. I feel like any time at the end of the semester, especially around this time of around Christmas time, around May, everyone’s just checked out.

00;14;40;09 – 00;14;58;09
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I feel like that’s when I need to go. Yeah, I mean, it would be amazing, I think. I think that the spa treatment, it does open you up to multiple possibilities too. Like it could be a facial or it could be a massage. I would always use a massage personally, but I think that that self care thing is so important.

00;14;58;09 – 00;15;21;08
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And during COVID, you know, they brought people in to the hospitals and since owners were shut down, they would have, you know, kind of like, you know, chair massages and that kind of thing in the area. So I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to order that. You just add in the budget, right? Yeah, Well, yeah, probably wouldn’t maybe a gift, maybe a gift from somebody to the simulation center, but very nice.

00;15;21;15 – 00;15;44;12
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It’s a busy, you know, at least within academia there there’s rises and falls. But even when it’s not as busy, when the semester when the university is closed or when the first semester shutting down, it’s still a full on tilt because you’re revising simulations or you’re cleaning up, you know, areas or you are working on the next project.

00;15;44;12 – 00;16;04;08
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A lot of times there’s new construction and things along those lines, so there’s always lots going on. So I think taking that pause and doing some self-care is really important because if not, if you don’t, if you don’t schedule it, it’s not going to happen, that’s for sure. All right. This is the last one. Yeah. These are all in no particular order, too, as well.

00;16;04;11 – 00;16;26;26
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this one has the mulch kit. So let’s be going along with the Moulin Rouge course. Yeah. For me, the wash kits I really recommend Bene products. Ben Knight, NY, I believe. Yes, they are more expensive, but they are really great quality. They last a whole lot longer. They’re going to hold a whole lot longer and it’s just going more realistic.

00;16;27;01 – 00;16;49;14
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The other really cool thing to add into your large kit that I didn’t until recently is tattoo bruises. So again it’s a little more expensive but in terms of trying to get mass quantity or if you just want your spouse to be able to put it on themselves and have it as a quick and easy thing, they are a really great tool to have in your tool belt to be able to utilize going forward.

00;16;49;16 – 00;17;10;12
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Just a tip, though. Don’t let your spouse put bruises on unless you’ve told them to. We had one ASP that thought she would enhance the eye injury by adding two black eyes. It was actually just an eye injury. I don’t remember exactly what it was, whether it was pinkeye or something along those lines. And it just derailed the entire simulation because she had added that in.

00;17;10;12 – 00;17;32;14
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So just make sure they only know that they can add those bruises and which is only accepted if they specify that, yes, do not enhance your simulations. Don’t take it upon yourself to do your own blush. Yeah, for sure. Well, these are some fun things. Yeah. I mean, again, I think that if you think about a simulation specifically, these would be some really cool ideas of what you could include as a special gift.

00;17;32;14 – 00;17;53;26
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Maybe a secret Santa or something along those lines for a simulation is that you’re bringing a gift to for Christmas. Yeah. So tag any of your fellow simulations that you think would benefit, maybe give them a hint of what you would like for Christmas this year by setting them this video? And if we missed any of your comments or what you would put on your Christmas list, leave them in the comments below.

00;17;53;26 – 00;18;01;23
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We’d love to hear what you have to say and we will see you next time. Happy holidays, everybody. Merry Christmas.