Coastal Alabama Visits University of Pécs In Hungary for Simulation Collaboration

In the summer of 2023, a collaboration between the simulation programs at Coastal Alabama Community College and the University of Pécs in Hungary began when Dr. Carman Godfrey answered a question on a Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) forum. Over the past year, a relationship formed culminating in a recent trip by leaders from Coastal Alabama to the nation of Hungary.

To support healthcare training, Coastal Alabama Community College started its Simulation Program in 2019 and hired Dr. Godfrey as its Program Coordinator. Under Dr. Godfrey’s leadership, Coastal Alabama became the first community college in the state to be fully accredited through the SSH.

Coastal Alabama’s Simulation Program conducts regular simulated clinical experiences for approximately 550 nursing and allied students each semester and offers nearly 1200 learning encounters for community stakeholders annually. The Program’s mission statement reads, “The mission of the Simulation Program at Coastal Alabama Community College is to prepare all learners to be competent in providing safe patient care within the global community,” and this most recent journey abroad really launched their goal to make a worldwide impact.

The University of Pécs, Hungary, boasts its MediSkills Lab, which uses high fidelity simulators, task trainers, and 3D print and virtual reality (VR) technologies to enhance its educational experiences for their approximately 3,300 international students from nearly 70 countries. Operated by their Director, Dr. Rendeki Szilárd, the Medical Skills and Innovation Centre Program began in 2012 at the University’s Medical School, and their mission is to ensure and improve higher levels of quality-oriented, certifiable simulated healthcare education, maintain their vast inventory of simulated equipment, and continue to conceptualize and develop the OKIK’s [MediSkills Lab] professional immersive activities for both students and local communities. Since the MediSkills Lab has set its sights on obtaining SSH accreditation, Dr. Godfrey was invited to offer guidance and the necessary steps to the University on obtaining accreditation.

Dr. Godfrey and Dr. Melinda Byrd-Murphy, Dean of External Funding and Institutional Effectiveness at Coastal Alabama Community College, had a week-long visit to the University of Pécs. There, they were able to collaborate with leadership from the MediSkills Lab and the Medical School about the implementation of the SSH accreditation process and simulation standards of best practice. As guests of the University, Dr. Godfrey and Dr. Byrd-Murphy were also able to observe the 2024 MediSkills Race, a two-day fun, competitive simulation event involving student teams from all four medical schools in Hungary and were able to attend a VIP gala at the Littke Pezsgőház in Pécs.

The leadership and staff from the MediSkills Lab demonstrated their remarkable Hungarian hospitality for their guests. While in Pécs, Dr. Godfrey and Dr. Byrd-Murphy were given guided tours of several cultural locations, including the Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral Basilica and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cella Septichora. In addition, the pair were able to immerse with VR, tour the Medical School and nearby teaching hospital, observe Hungarian police medical training, and examine their impressive 3D printing laboratory. During their talks with senior leadership, such as MediSkills Lab Director and Deputy Director, Dr. Rendeki and Dr. Péter Maróti, respectively, and Dean of the Medical School, Dr. Miklós Nyitrai, Dr. Godfrey and Dr. Byrd-Murphy welcomed discussions about the healthcare simulation accreditation process and the future of collaboration between their two schools.

On their final day in the city, Dr. Godfrey presented about the state of healthcare simulation and SSH accreditation in the United States to a group of international medical and pharmacy students from Hungary, Germany, Nigeria, Jordan, Qatar, Ireland, India, Egypt, Norway, Albania, Sierra Leon, and the United States. Mr. Jon Marquette, a MediSkills Lab liaison, moderated a question-and-answer period following the presentation, which revealed that many of these young learners were also curious about topics such as addressing rural healthcare disparities, healthcare education in the United States, and potential impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare.

A lasting bond has been formed between these two institutions. Members of the MediSkills Lab were encouraged to attend the International Meeting for Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in Orlando in January 2025, where Dr. Godfrey will be conducting two presentations – one as a panel member discussing simulation accreditation and another as part of a duo presenting on simulation boot camps. The IMSH conference is the largest healthcare simulation symposium in the world, and it is an invaluable resource for all simulation programs and staff. There are continued hopes that the Coastal Alabama Community College Simulation Program and the University of Pécs MediSkills Lab can inspire others by sharing their collaborative journey at IMSH – a tale of two schools.