In 2021, the LSN and Loughborough University partnered to offer the network places on their modular Healthcare Learning Pathway – an accredited Healthcare Human Factors short course. Rachel Crisp (Barts Health) shares her experience of the modules and where this had led her.
Human factors is a field of study that focuses on understanding how people interact with their environment and with each other. This knowledge is then used to design products, systems, and environments that are safe, efficient, and user-friendly. “Human Factors” or “Ergonomics” are terms that are used interchangeably and often included in our work as simulationists.
Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Loughborough University to attend my first module in their Human Factors PGCert course (Cognitive Ergonomics). I have been lucky enough to have been supported by my immediate boss Rachel Gill and the Barts Health Education Academy to attend this course.
My interest in attending Loughborough was in response to the 1 day “taster days” from the university organised by London Simulation Network. This introduced me to several topics of interest, in particular, the systems thinking and task analysis modules. These have been of particular interest to those implementing the “Patient Safety Incident Response Framework” (which requires a shift to “Systems Thinking”) but also to those of us who support in-situ simulations, and in truth, knowledge of these two topics is useful in any discussion of how teams work together.
Loughborough University’s human factors course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), and it offers membership to CIEHF to all undergraduate students.
On my visit, I had the opportunity to meet with some of my fellow students. I was impressed by the wide variety of students from differing backgrounds such as Nuclear, transport and a few fellow NHS colleagues. The course is run by the School of Creative Arts and Design, and I had the chance to see some of the cutting-edge facilities that the university has to offer, such as its human factors laboratory and its virtual reality suite. Loughborough has several industry partnerships and has, in the past, worked with the British cycling team in optimising the human performance of track cyclists.
Overall, I was very impressed with my first module at Loughborough University. It is a credible course, recognised internationally and taught by leading academics. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in developing a deeper understanding of the subject.
Rachel Crisp, Senior Simulation Lead Barts Health