Background, Rationale, and Context: A working group of simulationists from three campuses of one academic institution was struck to develop a multi-site simulation strategy. As part of this work, a needs assessment was conducted. A key result was the need for coordinated professional development opportunities for simulation facilitators. The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Nursing (INACSL) has published Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice for professional development which focus on the criteria necessary to meet this standard. However, guidance surrounding effective approaches to achieve this standard is lacking.

Research question: This systematic scoping review aims to determine what literature exists on professional development for educators facilitating simulation within pre-registration health professional programs.

Method: JBI scoping review methodology and Covidence systematic review management software were used for this review. All published and non-published (i.e., theses and dissertations) literature of any language, indexed in CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Embase (Elsevier), Eric (EBSCOhost), and MEDLINE (Ovid) databases from 2006 onward were reviewed for inclusion. Studies were included if they focused on professional development for educators of pre-registration health professional students responsible for facilitating simulation. Studies focused on educators facilitating simulation in professional settings (e.g., hospitals) or educating post-degree health professionals were excluded. Data were extracted and thematically analyzed to identify salient elements of facilitator development.   

Results/Conclusion: Preliminary results of this scoping review will be presented, highlighting practical solutions for creating a professional development program in a resource-limited context.