A National Simulation Program: Germany

Germany has 35 medical schools. To reach every medical student, each school would have to be equipped with at least one simulator. It became clear very soon that this was a major undertaking and that financial management, planning, and organization would be crucial for the success of the project. One of the first steps the simulation commission underwent was the selection of a suitable simulation device. The implementation phase of the program was a combination of several—partly parallel—processes with the shared goal of granting the Society program a successful start: 1. Definition and planning process; 2. Installation process; 3. Training process. The latter two were seen as the implementation phase. This was to be followed by a later application phase during which the use of the simulators was to be supported.