Kirsty Freeman

Associate Professor, Doctor of Philosophy Student, Ms, She/Her

  • The University of Western Australia (M709U), 35 Stirling Highway,

    6009 Perth

    Australia

Accepting PhD and other Higher Degree by Research Students. View current PhD/HDR research project opportunities at https://researchdegrees.uwa.edu.au/projects

Calculated based on number of publications stored in Pure and citations from PlumX

Personal profile

Biography

Kirsty Freeman is the Academic Coordinator of the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia and a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. With over 20 years of expertise in healthcare education, assessment, and research, she is a globally recognised leader in health professions education. Kirsty's interprofessional experience spans medicine, nursing, allied health, and paramedicine, delivering high-impact simulation-based training for both students and seasoned professionals.

Raised in the rural and remote regions of Western Australia, Kirsty is deeply committed to enhancing healthcare access in these communities by developing a robust rural healthcare workforce. Her passion is reflected in her dynamic keynote presentations and workshops at national and international conferences.

Kirsty plays a pivotal role in faculty development in healthcare simulation, guiding educators to integrate innovative simulation techniques into their teaching practices. Her leadership extends to her position as a Board Member of the Society for Simulation in Europe (SESAM), where she contributes to shaping the future of simulation-based education across the continent. Additionally, she serves as an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Healthcare Simulation (IJOHS), where she influences the dissemination of cutting-edge research in the field.

Currently, Kirsty is completing her PhD, focusing on the impostor phenomenon among healthcare simulation educators. Her qualitative research approach provides valuable insights into improving healthcare education and practice.

Current projects

Transition in professional identity and the impact of imposter phenomenon study – (Current research project). As the demand for simulation-based learning increases, so too has the need to grow the healthcare simulation educator workforce.  With clinicians taking on these new roles they are often required to transition in how they identify professionally.  The experience of adopting a new professional identity is complex, often resulting in feelings of being a ‘fake’ or an ‘impostor’. This study will explore the impostor phenomenon and its influence on transitions in professional identity of healthcare simulation educators.  

Research

Shining a Light on Debriefing: what actually happens in rural simulation based education – Between 2015 and 2017 Kirsty undertook a study that describes the experience of doctors who facilitate debriefing during simulation-based education in rural and remote environments.  Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, the study highlights that whilst the experience of facilitating the debriefing component of simulation-based education in the rural environment presents challenges, the positive impact of the relationship between debriefer and learner, suggesting the learning conversation does not and should not end at the conclusion of the debrief, but continue to thread through to other clinical skills and bedside teaching opportunities.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Education/Academic qualification

Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Management, University of Notre Dame (Australia)

Award Date: 1 Dec 2017

Master of Health Professions Education, Debriefing practices of rural medical educators, The University of Western Australia

Award Date: 1 Jul 2017

Graduate Diploma of Education, Murdoch University

Award Date: 1 Dec 2015

Graduate Diploma in Midwifery, Edith Cowan University

Award Date: 20 Dec 2002

Bachelor of Nursing, Edith Cowan University

Award Date: 5 Dec 1997

PhD(c), Transition in professional identity and the impact of impostor phenomenon, The University of Western Australia

20 Feb 2018 → …

External positions

Board Member, Society for Simulation in Europe

20 Aug 2023 → …

Lead Associate, Duke-NUS Medical School

10 Feb 202010 Feb 2023

Planning Chair IMSH2020, Society for Simulation in Healthcare

201830 Jan 2020

Industry keywords

  • Education
  • Health

Research expertise keywords

  • Simulation
  • Mixed Methods
  • Reflexive Thematic Analysis
  • Health Professions Education
  • Interprofessional education (IPE)

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