Staff

As associate director of the internationally accredited Simulation, Technology, Innovation and Modeling (STIM) Center at the UCF College of Nursing, Syretta Spears leads a team that supports faculty with successful simulation-based experiences for undergraduate and graduate nursing students. She has created several innovative teaching experiences at the college, including an “Escape Rescue Room” that has been presented nationally and published in two journals. Spears has more than 10 years of experience in healthcare simulation and is one of Florida’s first formally trained female, non-clinical simulation specialists. In 2017, she became one of the first graduates of UCF’s healthcare simulation graduate program, and in 2021 was among the first in the world to earn the Certified Healthcare Simulation Operations Specialist-Advanced designation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

Education

• MA in Human Resources Management, Webster University
• MA in Computer Resources and Information Management, Webster University
• BS in Computer Information Systems, Florida A&M University
• Telehealth Certification for Providers and Educators, Old Dominion University
• Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Simulation, University of Central Florida

Selected Awards & Honors

• Frontline Simulation Champion Excellence Award, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning, 2019

Selected Professional Activities

• Society for Simulation in Healthcare
• International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning
• Florida Simulation in Healthcare Alliance