IAEM congratulates SimWars on a successful 2021 Competition
Saturday, 20th March saw the 2021 SimWars Competition take place virtually via Zoom using the Virtual Resus Room platform. The competition was hosted by University Hospital Limerick /University of Limerick and broadcast from the Clinical Education & Research Centre. The all-Ireland contest featured participants from all seven universities on the island and a record 110 medical and nursing students took part. ‘Flu Fighters Strike Back,’ representing University of Limerick School of Medicine, were crowned 2021 SimWars Champions having only just edged out UCC’s ‘The COX Blockers’ and RCSI’s ‘Thoracic Park’ in the most competitive final in SimWars’ history.
The judging panel this year included nearly 40 healthcare providers across a range of disciplines including Consultants and NCHDs in Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia and General Medicine as well as nursing, pre-hospital personnel and other healthcare educators. One such judge, Dr Sinéad Ní Bhraonáin, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney remarked: ‘the participants were so enthusiastic, showing excellent clinical acumen and communication skills. They really did themselves and their universities proud. The future of EM is very exciting!’
SimWars is an intervarsity simulation resuscitation competition involving medical and nursing students from universities across the island of Ireland and was created by Dr James Condren and Dr Tiarnán Byrne in 2017 when they were final-year medical students at UCD. Both are now Core Specialist trainees on the National Emergency Medicine Training Scheme. Clinical assessment and management of simulated patients who require resuscitation in addition to communication, teamwork and leadership are all evaluated. The interest and participation in SimWars has progressively increased year on year.
IAEM congratulates SimWars on the successful delivery of their yearly competition in a virtual format in 2021 and looks forward to the competition in 2022 when it is hoped it will be able to return to being live and in person as originally intended. The Association has committed to continue to support this innovative and exciting competition on an ongoing basis.
