Slovakia is massively investing in simulation-based education in medicine – 11 centers are being established or modernized at nine public universities. The reason is clear: to train clinical skills safely and in a standardized way at a time when access to patients is limited. Alongside technology, there is growing emphasis on high-quality educators, methodology, and feedback – including artificial intelligence.
Investment in practice: 11 centers, 63 million euros
The Ministry of Education’s call arose from demand among medical and related fields for practical instruction. A total of 63 million euros is headed to simulation centers, of which more than half comes from EU funds; the state tops up the rest, and in some cases faculties also participate with smaller co-financing. The goal is to improve students’ skills, increase patient safety, and keep talent at home amid foreign competition.
Universities emphasize that simulations are meant to complement, not replace, contact with patients. Stability in the accreditation environment makes it possible to adjust the curriculum internally and move toward learning outcomes and competencies. The state has also purchased nationwide access to clinical databases (e.g., UpToDate); for additional tools, it is recommended to proceed through faculties and student associations.
How teaching is changing: from COVID to a “spiral” of skills
The Košice center launched in the academic year 2021/22 showed how crises accelerate change: during the pandemic, restricted clinical teaching was replaced by scenarios, debriefing, and the gradual integration of simulations into syllabi. Today, they shape requirements “from teachers to technology” – not the other way around – and cover general and dental medicine, nursing, public health, and physiotherapy. In Ružomberok, non-physician professions are also going full steam: nurses, radiologic technologists, physiotherapists, lab technicians, and paramedics receive standardized scenarios; facility renovations and instructor preparation are underway.
The Martin center has been operating since 2012 and, thanks to the call, is renewing both equipment and facilities, but the key is training educators in the specifics of simulation didactics and debriefing. In Bratislava, where 1200–2000 medical students pass through the center weekly, a “spiral” curriculum runs from day one: basic life-saving procedures, communication, and respect for the patient are layered year by year into increasingly complex situations. Not only educators but also technicians are crucial – without them the centers would not function.
People, AI, and shared standards
The experience from Brno is clear: every euro invested in people – teachers, instructors, and technicians – pays back many times over. In addition, there is a need to network and critically evaluate results according to clear indicators so that quality improves continuously. In Slovakia, a working group and a memorandum of faculties on standards for simulation-based teaching have already been created; the ministry promises stability in accreditations and a shift of emphasis to learning outcomes, but there is a call for common minimum standards across education and healthcare.
Artificial intelligence is entering simulations along two lines: it analyzes the course and data for more precise debriefing and accelerates scenario creation. Bratislava showcased the practice of “patient avatars” – both passive (video narration of the story) and responsive – with which the student converses and receives personalized feedback, which also helps foreign-language students. AI scales and standardizes training, but it does not replace actors in practicing empathy; simulation is meant to be a bridge to the patient and can set a threshold of skills that a student must master before entering the ward.
