Impostor phenomenon in healthcare simulation educators

Healthcare simulation educators play vital roles in preparing the healthcare workforce, yet nearly half privately struggle with feeling fraudulent despite evident expertise. Through mixed methods investigation of 148 educators, this research reveals that 46.6% experience impostor phenomenon(IP), with feelings resurging among senior educators. Twenty in-depth interviews uncovered four interconnected experiences: relentless credential pursuit, strategic professional invisibility, IP's paradoxical role as both motivator and barrier, and its cyclical return throughout careers. Rather than individual weakness, IP emerges as an adaptive response to professional growth, rippling through the simulation community when educators withdraw from knowledge sharing, revealing opportunities for systemic support.