What is MASK-ED™ (KRS Simulation)?
MASK-ED™ (KRS simulation) is a high fidelity simulation technique created by Professor Kerry Reid-Searl at CQUniversity Australia in 2010. The technique is informed by a teaching process and involves realistic body silicone props including masks, torsos, arms and legs, worn over the informed educator to mask them. The hidden educator then transforms into another identity, as a character/person with a history/story that is relevant to the learning experience. The character and their history become a platform for teaching. The technique involves a three-way interplay involving the educator, the character and the learner. The interplay allows the hidden educator to direct the learning process as they create a spontaneous and realistic simulation experience, informed by their knowledge as the expert, to the learner. The KRS component stands for knowledgeable, realistic and spontaneous simulation. The technique is about constructing realities for learners and provides them with practical experience in the realities of their discipline. It enables learners to make sense through reality, it promotes reflection on practice and serves as a strategy that caters to different learning styles. Whilst initially designed for undergraduate nursing students in the teaching of nursing skills, the technique has application in multiple disciplines.
About Professor Kerry Reid-Searl
Kerry Reid-Searl grew up in Tasmania. After high school, Kerry embarked on a nursing career while simultaneously attending art school. With her initial nursing qualification complete, she worked in the Torres Strait, in the hospital as well as medical-aid-post settings. Settling into nursing, Kerry completed midwifery in Townsville and worked in Indigenous communities in Queensland. After moving to central Queensland, she began her career in nursing education, gaining a masters degree and a PhD.
At the same time, she assumed a role as a paediatric nurse at Rockhampton Hospital. She continues to teach in the undergraduate nursing program at CQUniversity, finding a supportive environment that has allowed her to bring her passions for art, drama and storytelling together with the essence of caring found in nursing. Read her full staff profile
