Simulosophists: evolving the professional identity of simulation practitioners

Simulation educators frequently cultivate psychological safety and reflective practice within simulated environments, yet these same values often fail to translate into their broader professional contexts as members of teaching department or healthcare teams. This inconsistency—between what is modelled in simulation and what is lived in everyday work—reveals a deeper issue of professional dissonance that is not fully addressed by existing simulation standards and codes of ethics, which largely focus on conduct within educational activities rather than in wider workplace cultures. Moreover, many simulation practitioners “wear multiple hats,” simultaneously inhabiting roles as clinicians, educators, and leaders, which can blur boundaries and expose tensions between espoused values and organizational hierarchies. This conceptual paper proposes the concept of the simulosophist—a simulation practitioner who not only teaches but lives on the foundational principles of simulation: ethical integrity, reflection, and psychological safety-across roles and contexts-and argues that the evolution toward this identity requires coordinated action at individual, institutional, and disciplinary level. The simulosophist bridges the gap between simulated and real-world practice, modeling coherence across roles and contexts. By embracing this multi-level perspective and this proposed professional identity, simulation practitioners can advance simulation not merely as a pedagogy, but as a culture of integrity and professional practice that is consistently enacted beyond the simulation room.