The Pediatric Simulation Training for Emergency Prehospital Providers (PediSTEPPS) curriculum is a simulation-based educational program designed to improve the knowledge, skills, and confidence of prehospital providers caring for critically ill pediatric patients. Pediatric emergencies in the prehospital setting are high-risk but low-frequency events, making ongoing training essential. This curriculum integrates didactic instruction, hands-on skills stations, and high-fidelity simulation scenarios to address these challenges. The course includes a pediatric assessment lecture, multiple skill stations highlighting differences between adult and pediatric resuscitation, and four simulation scenarios covering neonatal resuscitation, respiratory distress/failure, seizures, and non-accidental trauma. Each simulation is followed by structured debriefing to reinforce learning objectives. The program was developed collaboratively by experts in simulation, pediatric emergency medicine, EMS, and medical education and is designed to be adaptable to local EMS protocols.
Target Learners
- Emergency Medical Technician–Basic (EMT-B) providers
- Paramedics
- Other prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) personnel involved in pediatric patient care
Equipment Needed
Simulation and Training Equipment
- 2 newborn high-fidelity simulation manikins
- 2 infant high-fidelity simulation manikins
EMS Equipment
- 2 Basic Life Support (BLS) equipment bags containing standard prehospital BLS equipment used by the EMS agency
- 2 Advanced Life Support (ALS) equipment bags containing standard ALS equipment used by the EMS agency
Facilities and Instructional Resources
- Classroom with audiovisual capability for lectures and presentations
- Three breakout areas for skills stations
- Simulation rooms or simulation theaters for high-fidelity scenarios
- Computer and simulation software for scenario operation
- Standardized patient or confederate actors for simulation realism
Estimated Time to Complete the Activity
Total Course Duration: Approximately 9 hours
Breakdown:
- Introduction and orientation to simulation: 30 minutes
- Pre-test: 30 minutes
- Pediatric assessment lecture: 75 minutes
- Skills stations (3 stations, 25 minutes each): 75 minutes
- Lunch break: 30 minutes
- Orientation to simulation mannequins: 30 minutes
- High-fidelity simulation scenarios (4 scenarios with debriefings and setup time): 4 hours
- Post-test and course evaluation: 30 minutes