September 15-19, 2025 is Global Sim Week. Join us to learn more about the Simulation Center and how we can help students become confident and prepared providers.
Accreditation Celebration
Join us to celebrate the accreditation of PNWU’s Simulation Center!
- Date: Thursday, September 18
- Time: 11:30 am
- Location: MultiCare Learning Center foyer (MLC 161)
- Food: Pizza and cake
What is Experiential Learning?
A Safe Space to Fail Forward and a Smart Way to Learn
Fail Safely. Learn Faster.
At PNWU’s Simulation Center, mistakes are welcome because they lead to mastery.
We believe that failure is the path to success. That’s why our Simulation Center exists: to give students a safe, supportive space to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow into confident, capable providers.
Simulation isn’t just about mannequins or mock exams. It’s about intentional exposure to clinical concepts in a controlled environment where you can try, stumble, and try again, without risking patient safety or your own confidence. It’s where you learn to “fail forward,” turning missteps into mastery.
But Why Fail?
Research shows that people learn better when they’re challenged than when they get everything right the first time. In simulation, you’ll uncover the gaps in your knowledge and skills, and you’ll have the tools and support to close those gaps. Whether it’s refining your bedside manner, sharpening your diagnostic reasoning, or practicing hands-on procedures, simulation helps you become the kind of provider patients trust and preceptors remember.
And here’s the best part: you’re not alone. Our simulation team is here to coach, guide, and cheer you on. They’re not assessing you, they’re investing in you and your future patients. With debriefs that focus on growth, not grades, and feedback that’s specific, actionable, and kind, simulation is a place where learning feels like progress, not pressure.
So, during Sim Week, we invite you to step into the foam pit. Try something new. Make a mistake. Learn something big. Because even the best providers aren’t perfect, they’re prepared. And preparation starts here.
Meet the Simulation Team
Kiyah Emerson
Manager of Simulation Education
- Main Scope: Oversight of Sim Education unit, quality assurance, simulation curriculum design and delivery (DMD & HU BSN).
- Activity Involvement: Debriefing learners, supporting simulation educators.
- Started As: Sim Educator, 2023
“Integrity is who you are when no one’s watching.”
Ben Charron, BA
Simulation Educator
- Main Scope: Simulation curriculum design and delivery (COM, WSU BSN).
- Activity Involvement: SP training, briefing learners, facilitating activity meetings.
- Started As: SP, 2020
“It’s better to stand by someone’s side than by yourself.”
Kassy Luna, BA
Simulation Educator
- Main Scope: Simulation curriculum design and delivery (PT, OT, NIHC, WSU Pharmacy)
- Activity Involvement: SP training, briefing learners, facilitating activity meetings.
- Started As: Sim Educator, 2024
“Believing in yourself is the key to success.”
Johnny Farias, BS
Manager of Simulation Technology
- Main Scope: Oversight of Sim Technology unit, SimGhost behind the scenes
- Activity Involvement: Inpatient activities, training faculty/staff, leading tours, DMD VR units support
- Started As: Sim Tech, 2023
“When faced with a tough call, ask: What would the leader I aspire to be do now? … Then do that.”
David Wilkes
Simulation Technologist
- Main Scope: Ensuring the tech works for everyone (aka SimGhost)
- Activity Involvement: Setting up/tearing down skill practice, answering your tech questions via email, training on technical skills
- Started As: SP, 2022
“Good enough isn’t.”
Dr. Lisa Steele, DBA, MPH, CHSE
Assistant Provost of Experiential Learning
- Main Scope: Org development and change management: Professional Development, mentorship, relationship building, operational efficiency. Represent PNWU: dissemination of expertise, committee and board presence.
- Activity Involvement: Paving the way for simulation to thrive and grow. Enhancing IPE and collaboration.
- Started As: Executive Director, Simulation Center, 2017
“Success is built on the stepping stones of failure. Get comfortable in your discomfort.”
Chelan Shepherd, M.Ed, CHSE
Director of the Simulation Center
- Main Scope: Oversight of center and managerial staff, collaborating with stakeholders, accreditation tracking
- Activity Involvement: Behind the scenes, building and maintaining Sim Center structural integrity
- Started As: SP, 2015
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the overcoming of it.”
George Brown
Operations Coordinator
- Main Scope: Coordinating logistics to support all Simulation Center operations.
- Activity Involvement: Coordinating staff and space coverage
- Started As: Admin Coordinator, 2024
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”