Making Education Accessible for All – SIMTICS Founder Makes eLearning in Healthcare an Option for Students

Professor John Windsor understands the importance of learning, and the fundamental link between education and economic development within a community, having grown up in the northern parts of India. Spending his childhood closely by his missionary father’s side, John gained an insight into the importance of accessible education, especially to students in rural communities, and felt inspired as an adult to make eLearning in healthcare an option for school curriculums.

“My father went out to India in 1963 to set up a heart unit in a post-graduate institute and helped establish that speciality in India. He went on to work as a general surgeon in mission hospitals for twenty years in India,” Professor Windsor says. “Education in the broadest sense was highly valued and learning respect for others in a multicultural setting was important. Under my dad’s influence I grew up understanding the importance of healthcare and community development, and that educational opportunities were precious. It was a wonderful upbringing, to be honest.”

Professor Windsor’s fascination with medical education, combined with his upbringing in rural India and his experience with setting up the Advanced Clinical Skills Center, contributed to the founding of SIMTICS, an eLearning in healthcare tool that allows students to learn medical procedures online through cognitive simulations, to complement and strengthen the current school curriculum. www.simtics.com

Professor Windsor’s interest in virtual learning began in 2003 when he met George Oosthuizen, an experienced surgeon who had recently moved from South Africa to New Zealand. Oosthuizen had to become a student again and retake his fellowship exam before he could practice surgery in the new country.

SIMTICS CEO Cherry Vanderbeke says, “John Windsor understood the importance of education and learning, and making education accessible to anyone, anywhere. Students can access SIMTICS resources while working in a remote, underfunded hospital in Nigeria, or from an internet café in Thailand. They all have access to healthcare learning through SIMTICS, and can practice procedures even when they don’t have open access to medical equipment.” www.simtics.com

SIMTICS is also garnering interest for continuing medical education. The Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) and the Australasian Sonographers Association (ASA) have approved SIMTICS sonography modules for CME or CPD credit. Members of ASA and SVU benefit from a 20 per cent discount when accessing SIMTICS online learning modules through their membership, as part of ASA’s and SVU’s commitment to deliver innovative resources and opportunities to foster quality practice and enhance the professional success of their members.

SIMTICS is both cost-effective and accessible, which were important factors to Professor Windsor, having grown up in one of the poorest parts of the world. “Coming from a missionary background in rural India, I know it’s important to find a generalizable and sustainable approach to education that can be accessed regardless of geographical location. SIMTICS is one of my contributions to achieving that mission.”

To find out how SIMTICS is making education accessible by creating eLearning in healthcare opportunities, visit www.simtics.com.

 
About SIMTICS

SIMTICS provides healthcare eLearning opportunities for students, which allows them to learn medical procedures online through cognitive simulations, to complement and strengthen their current school curriculum. SIMTICS has a catalogue of over 90 modules, covering ultrasound scanning protocols, radiographic positioning, and medical and nursing procedures that are available to individuals, education institutions and employers. The 36 sonography modules have been approved for ASA-CPD credits by the Australasian Sonographers Association and the vascular modules have been approved for CME credits by the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU).

Contact Information

Cherry Vanderbeke

CEO

SIMTICS

(1) 310.595.0294

cherry.vanderbeke@simtics.com