A New Generation of Doctors Is Entering Hospitals. They Completed Their Entire Studies in a Simulation Center

In 2025, the Simulation Center of the Faculty of Medicine (SIMU) celebrated the first five years of its operation. However, the current academic year marks an even more significant milestone for this modern educational facility. The first class of students from the six-year General Medicine program, who have been trained in the environment of Europe's largest simulation center since the start of their studies, is graduating. As Professor Petr Štourač, Head of the Department of Simulation Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, points out, the healthcare system is now welcoming a generation of young physicians educated in a way that would have been unimaginable just a decade ago and who are better prepared than their predecessors.

“Nothing can replace direct contact with patients. However, students should not learn clinical practice for the first time on real people. In the simulation center, they acquire both technical and non-technical skills, enabling them to enter hospitals better prepared for clinical practice and everyday interpersonal communication,” says Štourač, describing the fundamental transformation in medical education made possible through simulation-based learning. He also observes this development in his role as Vice-Dean for Development, Clinical Education in General Medicine, and Lifelong Learning. “We see that students who undergo simulation-based training develop healthy self-confidence, and I am convinced that, ultimately, they are also safer for patients.”

The establishment of SIMU, which welcomed its first students in autumn 2020, was closely linked to the reaccreditation of the medical program and the systematic revision of its content and structure. “Thanks to this unprecedented review of all courses, we were able to integrate simulations into teaching in a meaningful way, although we naturally learned many things along the way,” recalls Štourač, referring to the pioneering period when medical faculties across the Czech Republic were only beginning to explore simulation medicine. Today, all medical faculties in the country have their own simulation centers, and collaboration within the field is thriving.

Although SIMU is equipped with advanced simulators, highly realistic patient mannequins, and state-of-the-art technological infrastructure, Štourač believes its greatest asset is not the technology but the people behind it. SIMU also stands out due to its staffing model and its system for educating specialists in simulation-based teaching. In addition to graduates of General Medicine, the center is also producing the first graduates of the doctoral study program Simulation in Medicine, a newly emerging field within medical education.

“Technology is only a tool. Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and 3D printing are essential if we aspire to be among the best in Europe,” says Štourač, noting that the Brno Simulation Center is one of only a dozen institutions to receive full accreditation from the European Society for Simulation in Medicine. “But the real difference in educational quality is created by academics, instructors, technicians, and everyone who can effectively utilize simulations and implement simulation-based teaching methods in education.”