Simulation Instructor Training

Advanced Instructor Course

(AIC)

Course Details

For experienced simulation instructors

Using cutting-edge educational theory and practice, the Advanced Instructor Course presents a conceptual framework that employs repeated micro-cycles of practice and feedback on debriefing, scenarios, and strategic challenges. This approach accelerates skill acquisition and showcases effective methods for faculty development. You will engage in a model of peer- and mentor-led “community of inquiry,” allowing you to reflect on your own and others’ instructional and management practices in action.

Each course will feature several globally-recognized CMS faculty members who will coach learners in intensive small groups. Focus areas will include advanced debriefing practice, advanced scenario development, and the cultivation of self-observation and reflection skills.

We look forward to seeing you and watching you grow even more!

We are excited to begin this new adventure in online education. Your learning begins before the course starts through online feedback and interaction with faculty on the course pre-work assignments.

Tuition

NOTE: Tuition covers 1 person to participate in the course. If you would like us to run this course exclusively for members of your institution, please Contact Us.

Individual Attendee Tuition for courses held at or hosted by CMS: $6,995 USD
Individual Attendee Tuition for courses held at or hosted by other institutions: Varies by host site
Cost to Host this Course at your Institution: Contact Us

Participant Comments:

“I loved the number of faculty involved in the course and amount of time we had with faculty.”
“I just really love the overall atmosphere and being able to connect to peers in simulation.”

Course Topics Include:

  • Frameworks for structuring faculty development in simulation
  • Advanced debriefing techniques, including debriefing the debriefer
  • Preventing and managing difficult debriefing situations
  • Understanding and managing realism and fidelity in scenario development
  • Using debriefing assessment to structure feedback or summative assessment
  • Advanced conversational techniques for steering debriefings
  • Strategic management of simulation initiatives in healthcare
  • Advanced topics in scenario development (e.g. medical error, delivering bad news, ethical problems, death of a patient, faculty development scenarios)

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants who fully engage in all activities will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate enhanced feedback and debriefing skills
  2. Construct faculty development activities to assist instructors in their program to use simulation most effectively

Format:

The course will take place over 4 consecutive days. It is our belief that this intense learning experience is best accomplished with continuous, individualized mentoring from highly experienced CMS faculty and the development of a peer-led community of practice. The course combines didactic and experiential learning with practice and feedback.

Participants will run and debrief scenarios, learn how to use an Action Science technique to reflect on debriefings and learn how to assess the quality of debriefings. There will be some didactics, but mainly the course will be very interactive and engaging.

How is the online version of the course different?

Using best practices for dynamic, interactive online education, each course day will be a mix of video conference time with faculty, offline time to work alone or in your small group, and periods of down time for rest and reflection. You can count on learning as much from the process of online education in the course as you will from the content. Days begin at 8:00 AM and end at approximately 5:00 PM US Eastern time.

The course held in Boston is a blend of in-person and optional online exercises on the CMS Virtual Campus site. The CMS Virtual Campus site is used to support in class exercises and build an online community of practice.

This course is a hybrid of online and in-person exercises facilitated by one or more instructors. Our advanced instructor courses are tailored to your learning needs and current instructor challenges. These courses therefore require 2-4 hours of work from you completed over several weeks. With input from faculty and peers, you prepare and submit assignments on your own schedule over the course of a two-week period through an online course website called the CMS Virtual Campus site. Instructions for accessing the CMS Virtual Campus site are sent to participants once tuition is received.

Trying to decide if you should take the course online or in person?

Here are a few considerations:

  • What’s the same: The content of the course is the same in either format; the time commitment is significant.
  • Advantages of doing the course in Boston: There is more opportunity for interaction with CMS faculty and staff during lunch, breaks, dinners out; when we’re in person we are able to run “real” simulations; you get to see the great city of Boston!
  • Advantages of the online course: Savings on travel costs to Boston; you’ll experience best practices in online teaching; there’s less risk in the age of COVID.

Still have questions about the online course?

Contact us

Technology Requirements:

The in person course requires everyone to have their own computer or mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone. Electronic devices are used throughout the day, every day.

In person courses use a learning management system (LMS), the CMS Virtual Campus, accessible from any web browser which will serve as the platform for learning, communications, and material to foster a community of practice that can continue beyond the course.

Course Prerequisites:

To be eligible for this course, participants must have previously taken either the Healthcare Simulation Essentials (formerly Comprehensive Instructor) or Simulation as a Teaching Tool courses. Individuals who have not taken either course may apply for an exemption if they can demonstrate significant debriefing experience and expertise. Please contact us to request an exemption.

In Person Training Requirement: Complete Vaccination series and Booster against COVID-19

The Center for Medical Simulation (CMS) requires course participants to have completed the COVID-19 vaccine series and the COVID-19 booster to attend in person training. We will ask you to complete an attestation form stating that you are vaccinated in order to attend the course. A copy of your vaccination card is not required by CMS; however, you will need to show proof of vaccination for certain venues in Boston during your stay.

Want to host this course at your institution?

Contact us

Upcoming Courses:

The next AIC at the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS) is currently planned to be held in person in October 2025 in Boston, MA USA. Registration will open in 2025. Please Contact Us for any questions or to register your interest.

Application Process:

Complete the online application form. No other information is needed.

  1. Complete the online application form;
  2. Complete the Supplemental Advanced Instructor Course Application Form which asks you to provide:
    • A short biosketch including your simulation and debriefing experience
    • Your goals for the course
    • A one-paragraph overview of a scenario you might like to run in the course
    • (Optional) An overview of a strategic challenge with which you would like assistance

    We recommend that you prepare your responses offline as some of the questions require a bit of self-reflection. To assist you in preparing your responses, please download and use the AIC Supplemental Application Form Preparation Worksheet, a Microsoft Word version of the form.

  3. Application is complete when both the online application form and Supplemental Advanced Instructor Course Application Form responses are submitted. An admissions committee then reviews your materials.
  4. Admission decision will be sent to you within approximately two weeks of receipt of your completed application.

Course Offerings

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Course Dates
Location
Notes
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 @ 9:00 AM -
Friday, September 25, 2026 @ 5:00 PM
Center for Medical Simulation (CMS), Boston, MA

Held in person at CMS in Boston, MA.

Application Deadline: Sept. 1, 2026

Apply Now

Policies

Please review the important policy information below.

  • Payment
  • Cancellations
  • Enrollment
  • Course

The Center for Medical Simulation accepts payment by credit card, ACH payment, wire transfer, or cashier’s check in U.S. dollars. Personal checks are not accepted. You will be receiving an invoice via email, no paper invoices are issued. Your payment is due immediately upon receipt.

If you have any questions regarding pricing or our policies, please Contact Us.

If you must cancel we will refund your tuition less a processing fee provided another paid candidate is able to fill your seat. Otherwise, you will forfeit half your tuition. If you would like to switch to a course offered at a different date, we will apply your tuition toward the new course provided another paid candidate is able to fill your current seat. Otherwise, you will forfeit half your tuition. If you still want to switch to another course date we will apply half of your paid tuition and you will be billed for the remaining half. Please note that the tuition for a course offered at a later date may be higher. In that case, individuals switching to the later course date will need to pay the difference in the tuition fees.

Processing Fees

  • $250 for administration and processing for Healthcare Simulation Essentials: Design and Debriefing course (formerly known as the Comprehensive Instructor Workshop) and Advanced Instructor Course participants
  • $100 for administration and processing for MOCA, Anesthesia and Labor and Delivery Crisis Resource Management Training and Gateway Debriefing Skills course participants

If you have any questions regarding pricing or our policies, please Contact Us.

You will be informed of acceptance to your selected course/workshop by email within two weeks of our receiving your completed application. Your tuition is due immediately upon acceptance. Once accepted you will receive another email containing an invoice with payment instructions.

Please note that acceptance does not mean enrollment. Once accepted, you are placed on a wait list.

You are not enrolled, and do not have a reserved seat, until we have received your full tuition. Course seats are filled in the order we receive tuition payments. Since our courses fill quickly it is important for you to send in your tuition immediately to secure a seat.

Once your tuition payment is received, you will be taken off the wait list and enrolled in your desired course/workshop provided a seat is still available. If all seats in your preferred course/workshop are filled by the time we receive your tuition payment, you will be informed that it is full and given the option to remain on the wait list in the event that a seat later become available, switch to another course at a later date with available seats or receive a refund.

If you have any questions regarding pricing or our policies, please Contact Us.

Required to Observe or Participate in the Course

Confidentiality of Information

During your participation in courses run by the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS), you may observe the performance of other individuals managing medical events and debriefing of those events. It is also possible that you may be a participant in these activities. You are asked to maintain and hold confidential all information regarding performance of individuals and details of the simulated cases.

By applying for this course, you acknowledge to having read and understood this statement and agree to maintain the strictest confidentiality about any observations you make regarding the performance of individuals and the simulated cases.

Permission to Review Video Recordings for Educational Purposes

During the course, you may participate in realistic simulated cases of medical events and/or simulated debriefings that may be video recorded for review during debriefings as part of the educational experience. The goal is for the facilitators to provide focused feedback to the team. The faculty may review these recordings at a later date for quality improvement of the training.

By applying for this course, you acknowledge to having read and understood that you may be video recorded in the course and agree to allow CMS faculty to review these video recordings for educational purposes.

If you have any questions regarding pricing or our policies, please Contact Us.