Paramedics Satisfaction with Simulation Experience for Career Development and Skills Maintenance

Due to the importance of medical simulation as part of continuous professional development, we developed a specialized 12-month simulation program for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel working at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), aiming to develop and maintain their clinical practice skills for various trauma/medical emergencies. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the level of satisfaction and experience with the developed simulation program to guide current and future simulation programs designed for EMS personnel.

A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed where an online survey was distributed to all EMS personnel at KAMC. Demographics, professional information, and satisfaction with simulation experience using the validated Satisfaction with Simulation Experience Scale (SSES) were collected from all participants. Descriptive and correlation analyses were performed to assess the effectiveness of the implemented simulation program.

Of the 71 invited EMS personnel, 63 (88.7%) completed the survey. Most participants were males (88.9%) with less than 5-year experience (54%). The results showed high mean scores for all scale items, ranging from 4.44 to 4.63 on a scale of 1 to 5, with standard deviations ranging from 0.58 to 0.86. The correlation analyses showed no significant associations between demographics and professional information with simulation experience and satisfaction level.

These findings suggested that the simulation-based continuing professional development program at KAMC is effective in contributing to the professional development and skill enhancement of EMS personnel. Further, larger scale studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of simulation programs for EMS personnel.