SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital introduces innovative Clinical Simulation Program for Social Workers in Healthcare
Training by facing real situations, but in a safe environment. With this premise, SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital has launched an innovative clinical simulation program aimed at its team of healthcare social workers, becoming the first center in Spain to apply this methodology to this professional group.
With a strong focus on educational innovation, SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital has incorporated clinical simulation into the training of its team of healthcare social workers. This pioneering initiative in Spain, driven by the Social Work Service and the Clinical Simulation Unit, allows professionals to practice their skills in a safe and reflective environment to better address highly complex cases.
In 2024, two training sessions were held with the participation of 17 healthcare social workers and one intercultural mediator. Through scenarios with professional actors, participants were able to face cases related to mental health, end-of-life situations, child abuse, and sexual abuse.
According to Alba Pascual, social worker at SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital and simulation instructor, “Clinical simulation is a very powerful tool because it enables experiential yet safe learning. Participants are immersed in a scenario very similar to the reality of their daily work, where they resolve the challenges of their professional practice, but with the assurance that a mistake will not cause harm to anyone. Having professional actors and actresses is key, because our intervention is based on interpersonal communication.”
The results show highly positive feedback from participants, who rated every aspect of the training with the highest score. In addition, in the collection of qualitative feedback, they highlighted that the simulation allowed them to practice essential skills for dealing with complex situations, such as managing uncertainty, intercultural mediation, emotional support, and communication with families.
For Pascual, the most rewarding part was seeing how well the initiative was received: “Participants greatly appreciated having a space for reflection and shared learning. I think the best proof that it worked is that they asked for more sessions.”
With this project, SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital highlights the value of clinical simulation as an effective tool for training healthcare social workers and strengthens its commitment to educational innovation in the service of comprehensive care for patients and families.