PNWU Simulation Center Earns Full Accreditation
Pacific Northwest University’s Simulation Center has earned Full Accreditation in Human Simulation from the Association of SP Educators (ASPE)—an international endorsement of a Yakima Valley program built on a clear premise: when learners can practice with Simulated Patients (SPs), receive precise feedback, and try again without harm, they become better clinicians, faster.
The center is PNWU’s working classroom for patient-centered, interprofessional training. What began more than a decade ago as a once-a-week effort staffed by a handful of volunteer SPs now operates daily across multiple graduate health programs on an integrated curriculum. The accreditation validates that evolution and the culture behind it—one that treats everyone in the room as a learner and keeps patient outcomes as the north star.
“We’re helping to write the standard of what a simulation center should look like,” said Chelan Shepherd, Director of PNWU’s Simulation Center. “This accreditation says we’re doing it right—and doing it with purpose.”
Practice. Feedback. Repetition.
“Everyone is a learner in the Simulation Center,” said Lisa Steele, DBA, CHSE, MPH—Assistant Provost, Experiential Learning Center; Director of Simulated Studies, Physical Therapy. “That promotes interprofessional education and the collaborative spirit that leads to better patient outcomes.”
“Everyone is a learner in the Simulation Center.”
– Lisa Steele, DBA, CHSE, MPH
Steele describes learning as a continuum.
“An experiential activity lets learners demonstrate what they know and identify opportunities for growth through self-reflection and feedback—from faculty, SPs, and our staff. Then we reinforce learning and try again.”
The environment is engineered for that cycle.
“Preventing a person from failure robs them of future success.”
– Lisa Steele
“Preventing a person from failure robs them of future success,” she said. “We build guardrails and safety nets so learners can take risks without harming patients. Student-centered learning is our focus—we’ve strengthened operations and invested in our team’s professional development so we can maintain excellence without losing sight of the learner. The point of all of it is patient outcomes: a safe environment encourages vulnerability—and growth.”
Steele’s approach to change is as disciplined as the training itself. She recently earned her Doctor of Business Administration with a specialization in Organizational Leadership; her dissertation, “The Impact of a Change Model on Attitudes Toward Change,” informs how the program aligns faculty, SPs, and staff around consistent, high-reliability practice.
Formative. Specific. Safe.
What distinguishes PNWU’s program isn’t hardware; it’s people.
“SPs provide a unique lens into the patient perspective,” Steele said. “They’re partners in the learner’s growth, offering guidance and feedback tailored to each student. Most health-care feedback from patients arrives as a complaint; SP feedback is formative, specific, and safe.”
Communication is often the harder skill to master.
“Developing communication skills is more challenging than acquiring technical skills,” she added. To keep the human element central, the center now organizes training by encounter type—outpatient, inpatient, skills, hospital ward— “so SPs are present in every environment, and the human touch remains a top priority.”
The team that makes this work is intentionally diverse in background and experience. “I’m blessed to work with people whose hearts are in the right place—staff, SPs, and simulation nurses alike,” Steele said. “My passion is helping people operate at the top of their scope—SPs, staff, faculty, and students.”
Learn more about the team behind PNWU’s Simulation Center.
A Regional Resource
Shepherd’s own path traces the center’s arc. She started as a volunteer SP more than a decade ago. Today, she leads a program that runs like clockwork.
“Running simulation is a bit like planning a wedding every day,” she said with a smile. “It’s intense, and it’s inaccessible to many institutions. But this accreditation shines a spotlight on what we’re doing here—for prospective students, community partners, donors, and health-care organizations alike.”
That spotlight matters locally. As collaborations expand across the Yakima Valley and beyond, Shepherd hopes the program can generate revenue that reduces student costs while widening access to hands-on training.
“Any time we can make student dollars go further, community impact is multiplied,” she said.
Proof at the Bedside
The center’s value is clearest in the exam room.
Ta’a Taylor, now a student in PNWU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine (Class of 2027), arrived with five years of ER and ICU nursing—real trauma, code calls, hard-earned calm. Simulation offered something different: outpatient encounters made natural through coaching and repetition, and a place to “fail forward” without harm.
After one case, a SP offered a note Taylor still carries: Make the room your room. Make the exam your exam.
A month later, the same SP noticed the change.
“PNWU’s Simulation Center has been absolutely essential to the development of my bedside acumen.”
– Ta’a Taylor, PNWU-COM Class of 2027
“That moment underscored how pivotal simulation and SP feedback are to student growth,” Taylor said. “PNWU’s Simulation Center has been absolutely essential to the development of my bedside acumen.”
The Accreditation Milestone
ASPE’s Full Accreditation recognizes programs that deliver high-quality, SP education grounded in best practices and continuous improvement. For PNWU, it affirms a model that blends rigor with empathy—and it signals a center ready to share its expertise more broadly.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” Steele said. “Our growth over the past eight years has expanded our reach to multiple programs and community partners. There is so much more our simulation center can offer—and every step is aimed at better care for patients.”