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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

Drawing Fire: Investigating the Accusations of Apartheid in Israel
2014-08-14

 Benjamin Pogrund
Photo: mg.co.za

Renowned journalist Benjamin Pogrund led a seminar on the current Israel/Palestine conflict in Gaza. The Department of Political Science hosted the event at the Bloemfontein Campus on 11 August 2014.

The discussion mainly centred around points Pogrund explores in his latest book, ‘Drawing Fire: Investigating the Accusations of Apartheid in Israel’.

Pogrund, who spent 26 years as a journalist in South Africa investigating apartheid, investigated the accusation that Israel is practicing apartheid and the motives of those who make it. His talk offered the audience a balanced view of Israel’s strengths and weaknesses and the problems facing the region. Pogrund drew a unique comparison between South Africa and Israel, explaining the complex political and social situations.

While researching and writing ‘Drawing Fire’, Pogrund experienced an intense emotional struggle. In the book, he explores the contradictions found in the region. It also deconstructs the criticisms against Israel as well as the boycott movement before arguing for two separate states – Israel and Palestine – as the only way forward for Jews and Arabs.

During the talk, Pogrund raised the question as to why the media coverage of Israel/Palestine conflict detracts so much attention away from the atrocities committed by ISIS currently terrorising the minority groups in Syria and Iraq.

Pogrund has been living in Israel for the past 15 years where he reports on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was the deputy editor of the Rand Daily Mail – South Africa’s leading anti-apartheid newspaper during the 1980s. Among other publications, he has written for the Guardian (London), Haaretz (Tel Aviv) and Facta (Tokyo). In May 2013, he was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Media Council in London, on behalf of the Next Century Foundation, for encouraging understanding of the Middle East and war-torn areas of the world.


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