Karen Mathias, RN, MSN, APRN, BC, Director

Karen Mathias has been the director of Children’s Simulation Center since its inception in 2006. She has been a pediatric/neonatal nurse for over 20 years, and began working with the concepts of high performing teams in the pediatric emergency department setting six years ago as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Emergency Departments at Children’s. Karen pursued specialized training in simulation and debriefing through Stanford’s Center for Advanced Pediatric Education, and at the International Conference in Simulation and Healthcare in 2006 & 2007. She believes that pediatric simulation, and the opportunities for multidisciplinary teams to practice and debrief together, truly is the next generation of learning for health care professionals.

Karen teaches PALS and holds memberships in the Society for Simulation in Health Care and the Emergency Nurses’ Association.

Barb Peterson, RN, Simulation Specialist

Barb Peterson has been a pediatric nurse for nearly 20 years. The last 4 years have focused on the use of medical simulation techniques using a variety of simulation tools including high-fidelity mannequins. She has worked in both academic and clinical settings. She is an enthusiastic supporter of simulation training and enjoys working collaboratively with organizations to develop curriculum that meets their training goals.

Barb has pursued specialized training from the Institute for Medical Simulation affiliated with Harvard. She is a member of two professional organizations, the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the International Association for Clinical Skills Labs, and was instrumental in creating the M-SHEP (Minnesota Simulation Health Education Professionals) group. She has been a consultant on a number of occasions and has delivered professional presentations locally and nationally. Currently, she is pursuing her BSN-MSN degree with continuing focus on medical simulation at Metropolitan State University.