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18 October 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons
Prof Mathys Labuschagne
Prof Chris Viljoen, Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences; Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal; and Prof Mathys Labuschagne, Head of the Clinical Simulation and Skills Unit (CSSU), during the unit’s 10-year anniversary celebration.

In just 10 years, the Clinical Simulation and Skills Unit (CSSU) at the University of the Free State (UFS) went from being just a dream to becoming a national and international leader in medical simulation training.

The CSSU forms part of the School of Biomedical Sciences and was officially opened on 21 February 2013. The CSSU celebrated its 10-year anniversary on Thursday, 12 October 2023.

Prof Mathys Labuschagne, Head of the CSSU, said at the evening’s celebration that the vision and dream came true 10 years ago. “I think the requirement for the successful integration of simulation into a curriculum is first and foremost that it is based on research evidence. It is not a thumb-sucking exercise”.

“It is really seated in research and then you need passion and dedication. You cannot be successful without that, and for that I need to thank my staff – without your passion and dedication it would not be possible to excel,” said Prof Labuschagne.

Simulation important for patient safety

According to the professor, good networking is also important – between departments, professions and companies outside the university and hospital. He said simulation is important for improving patient safety and expanding the training platform.

“By doing simulation, we can train students who cannot always be accommodated on the training platform. There are also a lot of educational advantages to using simulation. Our training activities in the past 10 years grew tremendously. At the moment we have about 4000 undergraduate and postgraduate student contacts a year. Then we do a lot of certification and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. During COVID-19 we did PPE training and ICU training for hospital and clinical staff in a safe environment.

“I am really proud of our research output. In the past 10 years we published 34 articles, and have another six articles currently in press. We have successfully completed eight master’s and seven PhD dissertations and there are now five students who are enrolled and all of them are simulation-associated. I cannot believe it has already been 10 years. I am very proud of the unit, and we strive for excellence in simulation education and training.”

Highlights of unit

Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, congratulated the unit on achieving this milestone. Taking a trip down memory lane, he mentioned the names of colleagues who played a role in establishing the unit and said their contributions might not be visible in name in the unit, but they are recognised by them in achieving this milestone.

“It is an excellent achievement to have seven PhDs in 10 years. Well done. Another highlight is supporting the establishing of other simulation units at Nelson Mandela University who came to learn from us. They didn’t have to go the US. The training of staff and students during COVID-19, we had the facility. Let us not forget our simulation role at undergraduate and postgraduate training.

Cutting edge of simulation-based education and training

Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, who gave a toast at the celebration, said the occasion is an opportunity to reflect on the excellent work done over the past decade and to consider how the unit is ideally placed to meet the aspirations that the UFS has for Vision 130 and the strategy of the university.

“The work of this unit has put the University of the Free State at the cutting edge of simulation-based education and training and the ongoing efforts of all of our staff in the unit who assist with the planning, the development, the setup, and the running of scenarios are acknowledged and greatly appreciated. I want to congratulate the leadership and the staff of the unit for the excellent work you are doing,” said Prof Petersen.

According to him, simulation education has numerous advantages such as improved patient safety, skills development, learning without involving real patients and the transfer of knowledge to the clinical environment. It creates a well-structured teaching and learning framework where simulation can be used as an educational tool assist in grasping the practical aspects of learning.

The training of specialised skills and deliberate practice are the key drivers behind clinical simulation as a training technique. It can also be applied as a tool to prepare students for a crisis situation, which requires high levels of preparedness and that is a very important aspect, said Prof Petersen.

“All these aspects of simulation-based education are something that relates very much to our vision and strategy. We want to be a research-led university, which means that it is not only doing research, but we try to focus on evidence and the research also helps us in the undergraduate programme to make it much more competitive.

“It also brings to the fore some qualities of our values, value of quality, value of impact and value of care. In addition, clinical simulation creates a vibrant learning experience for students and contributes towards our goal to meet the highest standards of excellence and impact in our teaching, learning and research.”

News Archive

We show our colours in support of autism awareness
2012-04-11

The Main Building on our Bloemfontein Campus will be illuminated in blue till the end of April to show support for autism awareness.
Photo: René-Jean van der Berg
12 April 2012

The Main Building on our Bloemfontein Campus will be illuminated in blue till the end of April to show our support for autism awareness, together with the rest of the world.

April is Autism Awareness Month and various iconic landmarks worldwide will be lit up in blue to honour those with autism.

Autism is one of only three conditions that are commemorated by the World Health Organisation.

Autism is a neurological condition that can be diagnosed in children as young as three years old. Worldwide one out of every 100 children is diagnosed within the autistic spectrum. This means that in South Africa a child is born with autism every hour and in the Free State some 400 children per year are born with the condition.

“Despite the high prevalence of autism in South Africa, South Africans know very little about it,” says Dr. David Griessel, an autism expert of the UFS’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health. “Stories and films that attempt to portray autistic characters often create the wrong impression among the public concerning this complex illness. This distorts the reality since every child with autism is unique,” says Dr. Griessel.

He says it is important that all children with signs of autism are referred for evaluation as early intervention can prevent autism from further disrupting normal development.

Therapists and teachers who specialise in autism-specific treatment play an important role in this regard.

“However, there are no well-established services for toddlers in the Free State. Fortunately, there are classes developing in schools such as Lettie Fouché, Willem Postma and Pholoho, as well as in Kroonstad and Welkom. The Free State Autism Association has established a private school that offers a service to seven learners.”

For more information on autism in children or for information on special projects in the Free State, contact Dr. Griessel at +27(0)51 405 53177 or +27(0)51 405 3181.

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