Harnessing the Power of Simulation: Advancing Social Work Practice through Hospital Committees

Committees are a core component of organizational infrastructure and clinical governance in health and hospital systems and a viable mechanism through which to accomplish goals, facilitate departmental initiatives, produce deliverables, and improve departmental functioning. In this article, authors describe the development, evolution, and activities of a hospital social work department simulation (SW SIM) committee, which culminated in the production and deployment of a simulation-based learning (SBL) course designed specifically for social workers employed in a large, urban, quaternary pediatric hospital. With its focus on suicide risk assessment and treatment competencies, a priority identified through departmental surveys in conjunction with social work (SW) leadership, this course was the first to be developed at the institution specifically for social workers that targeted psychosocial (as opposed to medical or interprofessional) competencies. Using development and production of the SBL suicide risk assessment and management course as a case example, this article illustrates the SW SIM committee's collaboration processes with the SW department, SW leadership, key content experts, and the institution's simulation program. The article concludes with a discussion of lessons learned and factors to consider when engaging in committee-led departmental initiatives such as SBL course development.