Student User Guide
Welcome to SimPhone Pro™!
SimPhone Pro is a clinical communication and documentation simulation platform. You will review a realistic electronic health record (EHR), document assigned care, and message care-team members using the ISBARR framework, all in a safe, low-stakes environment. This guide walks you through everything you need to get started.
Getting Started
Step 1: Obtain Your College Code
Contact your health professions instructor or program coordinator to receive your college's unique access code. This code is required to access the simulation platform and ties your sessions to your institution. Codes are checked securely on our servers and are never shown anywhere in the app, so your instructor is the only place to get it.
Step 2: Student Login
- Click "Student Login" on the main page
- Enter your full name (as it appears in your health professions program)
- Enter your student email address
- Enter the college code provided by your instructor — it is verified on our servers before your session starts, so no account or password is needed
- Select your cohort/group from the dropdown (if your instructor has assigned you to a cohort, it will be pre-selected and locked)
- Click "Start Simulation"
Step 3: Select a Patient
Once logged in, you'll see a sidebar list of patients. Each card shows the room number, patient name, MRN, acuity level, and diagnosis. Choose a patient based on your learning objectives or instructor assignment, then click the card to load the full EHR.
You can also build your own practice patient with the ➕ New button above the patient list. Every field starts blank — you enter the name, room, MRN, date of birth, unit, acuity, diagnosis, code status, isolation precautions, diet, activity, allergies, attending physician, and admission date yourself. Dropdown fields include an Other choice when you need to type something that is not listed. Nothing is auto-generated, so the chart reflects exactly what you decide to practice on.
Step 4: Start Your Session
After selecting a patient, click the "▶ Start Session" button. You can optionally enter a cohort or group name first (for example "Spring 2026, Group A") so your instructor can organize results. Start Session unlocks documentation and messaging and begins tracking your simulation. Work saves automatically. Resume continues saved work in the same session; starting a new session creates a separate attempt. Use one active simulation tab at a time.
Coming Back to Edit Your Charting
Everything you document is tied to the session you were in. If you end a session and later want to make more edits on the same patient, click "▶ Start Session" again. You'll see a list of your previous sessions on that patient, each showing the date and what you charted in it (for example "Flowsheet 3 · MAR 2 · Notes 1"). Sessions with nothing charted are marked "Nothing charted — likely started by accident" so you can skip them. Tap the one you want to Resume, and your flowsheets, MAR, notes, orders, and care plans reopen exactly as you left them, ready to edit. Choose "Start a new session" only if you want a fresh attempt. Starting fresh does not overwrite the earlier attempt; normal record-retention limits still apply.
Sessions, Saving & Returning to Work
Start before documenting or messaging
Select a patient, review the chart, then select Start Session. Documentation and messaging stay locked until a session is active. Closing a conversation only closes that conversation, not your session.
Automatic saving and shared baseline charts
Documentation saves automatically. Watch the save indicator and resolve any failed saves before leaving. Export and End Session wait for pending saves. Faculty-prepared shared charts provide starting information; student documentation is saved to the individual session, not back into the shared baseline. Faculty-set patient identifiers remain unchanged.
Live presence, page exits and connection loss
Keep your active simulation in one tab. It checks in every 30 seconds. Leaving the page attempts to end the session; if the browser closes or connectivity fails, a two-minute gap without a check-in causes the attempt to be marked Abandoned. Saved work is retained in history. Starting another attempt replaces your previous active attempt.
Resume, end and export
Return to the same patient and select Start Session to choose a previous ended or abandoned attempt. Resume continues that session with its saved documentation; a new session starts a separate attempt. End Session records an end time and starts the unified chart/session PDF download before the debrief. If a download fails, keep the page open and use Retry PDF download. Student-entered content is highlighted in dark red, with a legend and session details for review.
Ended attempts appear as completed in reports; abandoned attempts remain explicitly labeled in student history, faculty history and session CSV exports. A timeout or page exit does not replace the normal End Session PDF and debrief workflow. This presence timeout applies to SimPhone sessions, not the separate SimDoc charting workspace.
Interprofessional Education (IPE): Learning With the Care Team
Shared goals, distinct professional roles
IPE means learning with, from and about other professions. Nursing, medicine, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation, social work and other health professions contribute different expertise toward patient-centered care. Introduce your actual learner role, recognize colleagues’ expertise, and include the patient’s goals, preferences and access needs.
The current chart includes nursing-specific sections such as Nursing Notes and nursing care plans. These labels describe the available tools, not everyone’s professional role. Complete only the activities assigned by your instructor and appropriate to your simulated scope; the platform does not grant clinical authority.
Choose a relevant team contact
- Respiratory Therapy: respiratory assessment and oxygen-support concerns.
- Physical or Occupational Therapy: mobility, daily activities and functional safety.
- Social Work / Case Management: support needs, care transitions and barriers to discharge.
- Dietary: nutrition questions; Radiology or Blood Bank: imaging or transfusion-service coordination.
Use the contacts actually listed for the patient. These examples are learning prompts, not standing orders or a complete directory. If the needed profession is not listed, agree on an alternative with your instructor. Do not substitute routine messaging for the scenario’s urgent escalation process.
Respectful ISBARR and closed-loop communication
State your name and role, the patient’s situation, relevant background, your assessment within your role, and a clear request. Ask for the other profession’s perspective, clarify unfamiliar terms, and confirm the agreed action, responsible person and follow-up. Read back orders when applicable; not every team member can prescribe or authorize treatment. Raise safety concerns respectfully and acknowledge uncertainty.
Reflect on teamwork, not only the score
Faculty or simulation staff may reply in the selected care-team role. In debrief, consider whose expertise helped, whether the patient’s priorities were heard, how responsibilities were shared and what follow-up remained. ISBARR feedback is one communication aid, not a complete measure of teamwork or professional competence.
Working in the EHR
The Storyboard
A dark banner at the top of the chart shows the patient at a glance: name, age, room, code status, isolation precautions, allergies, attending physician, and diagnosis. Clinical alerts (such as critical vitals or severe allergies) appear here as well. Review the storyboard first on every patient.
Chart Sections
Use the chart navigation to move between sections. Review the chart before making your message, and document your care as you go:
- Synopsis: Overview of the patient including vitals, respiratory support, problem list, medications, and the clinical scenario
- Flowsheet: Chart your own assessments over time — vital signs, neurological, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and genitourinary, intake and output, pain, integumentary, activity and mobility, risk prevention, and vascular access. Every dropdown includes an Other option so you can type findings the list doesn't cover
- MAR: The medication administration record. Document each med as Given, Held, Refused, or Late with times and notes
- Diagnostics: Review lab results and place new lab or imaging orders. Resulted labs are flagged Normal, High, Low, or Critical; acknowledge results you have reviewed
- Nursing Notes: Write and sign nursing notes (shift assessment, progress, admission, and more). Instructor notes also appear here
- Plan of Care: Build nursing care plans with diagnoses, goals, interventions, and evaluations
- Med Rec: Complete medication reconciliation, flag discrepancies, and document prescriber notification
- Talk to Patient: Interview the AI patient to gather subjective data before messaging the relevant care-team member
⚡ Live Chart Updates
Your instructor can push changes to vitals or labs mid-session. A yellow banner will flash on screen when the chart has been updated. Check the affected sections to see what changed. This tests your ability to recognize and respond to clinical deterioration or improvement.
Messaging the Care Team
Starting a Conversation
- Tap the round message button in the bottom-right corner. It is available on every chart screen
- The directory shows the patient’s care team, including unit providers and listed interprofessional departments
- Choose the contact whose role fits your concern to open a conversation (you must have an active session first)
- Type your message and press Enter, or tap the 🎤 microphone button for voice-to-text input
- Your instructor or simulation staff may reply as the selected care-team contact in real time; these replies are written by staff, not generated by AI
- Replies arrive within a few seconds whether you signed in with a college code or an account — no need to refresh the page
Charting During a Conversation
- The conversation view adapts to your device: a side panel on desktop, a bottom sheet on tablet, and full screen on mobile
- Tap MINIMIZE (or CHART on mobile) to shrink the conversation to a green banner at the top of the screen showing the care-team contact and a conversation timer
- While minimized, the conversation stays open. Navigate the EHR, chart in the flowsheet, or review labs, then tap the banner to return
- Use the contact buttons above the message box to message or switch to another care-team member — you can keep several conversations open at once
- Close conversation closes the panel only; your session keeps running until you select End Session
The ISBARR Framework
Use ISBARR to structure clear communication across professions, adapting the detail and request to the recipient’s role:
- I (Introduction): Your name, role, unit, and the patient's name and date of birth
- S (Situation): What is happening with the patient right now
- B (Background): Relevant history, allergies, current medications
- A (Assessment): Your clinical interpretation of the patient's condition
- R (Recommendation): What you think needs to happen (tests, treatments, monitoring)
- R (Read-back): Confirm the agreed plan and next steps; repeat orders back when applicable and within your assigned role
Use the framework to guide your message. Final session feedback is provided after End Session; do not rely on live indicators as confirmation of clinical accuracy or team agreement.
Distractors
Your instructor may inject realistic interruptions into the conversation, such as an IV alarm, a new physician order requiring read-back, or a family member inquiry. These test your ability to stay focused and complete your ISBARR under pressure. Respond professionally and then continue your handoff.
Completing Your Session
Ending the Session
Select End Session. Pending documentation saves first, the session records its end time, and the unified chart/session PDF download starts before your debrief appears. ISBARR analysis uses the session transcript. Keep the page open while the report is prepared; if needed, select Retry PDF download rather than starting a new attempt.
🖨️ Download Your Patient Chart (PDF)
In the debrief summary, click "Download Patient Chart (PDF)" to save a complete PDF of the patient's chart plus everything you documented during the session: flowsheet entries, MAR administrations, nursing notes, lab orders, care plans, and med reconciliation. Keep it for your records or submit it to your instructor as evidence of your documentation.
Understanding Your Scores
The ISBARR score is out of 100. Review it with your instructor alongside clinical reasoning, role-appropriate communication and documentation. After the session you can review:
- Overall ISBARR completion percentage
- Which components were detected or missed
- Keywords that triggered each component
- Specific feedback and areas for improvement
The AI uses your patient's actual vitals and diagnosis to evaluate whether your assessment was clinically accurate. If your instructor overrides your score, a yellow Faculty Override badge will appear with their note. Your instructor may also grade your EHR documentation (notes, flowsheets, MAR, and care plans) separately.
Session History & Progress Tracker
Use the buttons in the top-right of the main view:
- 📋 My History: View all past sessions and scores, and download individual transcripts as CSV
- 📊 My Progress: See score trends over time, your best performance, a radar chart of ISBARR component strengths, and study tips
- 📅 Schedule: Browse upcoming sim sessions posted by your instructors and book a spot. Each slot shows the date, time, location, and remaining seats; you can cancel a booking if your plans change
SimDoc Pro™ — Post-Clinical Charting
What SimDoc Pro Is
SimDoc Pro is your practice charting workspace for assigned clinical learning. It is separate from the messaging simulation: you create your own chart, document within your assigned learner role, and export it for your instructor. Never enter real or protected patient information — patient initials only, exactly as the on-screen warning banner states.
Your Chart Library
- Click ➕ New Chart to start a chart for a clinical day, then give it a nickname such as "Week 3 Med-Surg"
- Search, filter, and sort your charts; each card shows patient initials, clinical date, completion percentage, and status
- Duplicate a chart to carry your header details into a new clinical day
- Deleted charts move to a recoverable list for 30 days, so a mistake is never permanent
Documenting a Chart
- The left rail lists your assigned sections — vital signs, systems assessments, integumentary assessment, activity and mobility, risk prevention, intake and output, vascular access with lines, tubes and drains, medication administration, labs, safety, education, plan of care, and nursing notes
- The right rail tracks completeness for every section: untouched, in progress, or complete, with an overall percentage
- Sections and sub-sections marked Optional do not count against your completion; hidden ones are not assigned to you at all
- Every documented field is marked typed or selected so you and your instructor can see whether you wrote the entry yourself or chose it from the list — the same markers print on your PDF
- Select Start Session to unlock documentation. Your work autosaves as you type; watch the save indicator, with no manual Save step required
- Use Unable to Assess where available and explain why in the required note. Remove individual multi-select choices when needed instead of leaving contradictory findings
- End Session saves pending work, locks the chart and starts the PDF download before debrief. Keep the page open and use Retry PDF download if offered
🖨️ Exporting Your Chart
Click Export PDF from the chart or your library card to download a branded PDF containing your header information and every section you were assigned. Submit it to your instructor as evidence of your post-clinical documentation.
Section Assignments Are Set by Faculty
Your instructor decides which sections and sub-sections each cohort documents, and can tailor assignments for individual students. Assignments are captured when you start a new chart, so an instructor changing them later never removes work from a chart you already have in progress. Brand-new sections added to SimDoc Pro do appear on your existing charts. If a section you expected is missing, contact your instructor.
Tips for Success
- Read the chart first: Review the storyboard, synopsis, labs, and notes before messaging the appropriate care-team contact. They often contain critical details
- Talk to the patient: Use the patient dialogue section to gather subjective data. It strengthens your Situation and Assessment
- Minimize, don't close: If you need to check the chart mid-conversation, use the minimize button. The conversation stays open on the banner while you look
- Include vitals in your situation: Always state current BP, HR, RR, SpO2, and temperature when describing the patient's status
- Close with a read-back: Confirm the agreed actions, who will carry them out, and follow-up; repeat orders back when applicable
- Document as you go: Chart flowsheet entries, MAR administrations, and notes during the session. Your instructor can review and grade your documentation
- Practice regularly: The more scenarios you complete, the more natural ISBARR communication becomes in real clinical settings
SimPhone Pro™ is designed for educational purposes only.
For questions or support, contact us at customer.service@simphonepro.com