There is no specific guideline for course load allocation for a Sim Coordinator.  The INACSL standard on Facilitation is comprehensive and provides the details of the role of facilitation. If a program is moving to 50%, then resource allocation to deliver simulation should meet the INACSL standards in its operationalization.  Here is the link for the standards:

https://www.inacsl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3407

 Sim can be done with the highest fidelity and meaning for students without a sim specialist. Key faculty in courses can be developed to engage theory-based debriefing with students. Standardized patients can be played by faculty members.  Work-study students can be trained to operate the simulators and stage and tear-down scenario settings. 

Carefully assess what you need to accomplish with your simulation program and the level of help that you need. Programs have successfully use work-study students to assist in the lab with staging simulation scenarios. Nursing programs with graduate programs in nursing education for instance, have course requirements that include clinical hours in an educational setting. Grad students can fill some of this clinical time being involved in simulation as a teaching strategy (e.g. simulation staging, work as a standardized patient, content expert during debriefing, etc.)  as a way of meeting their clinical or course hours. Reaching out to nursing alumni to ask for their help in volunteering hours for simulation. All of the work in simulation will require some training.  The level of training will be determined by the nature of the role that is being played.

The simulation facilitator and simulation debriefer need to be accountable for the content in the simulation.  If neither is a content expert, then the standards would indicate that arrangements need to be made to provide students with a content expert to assure that learning outcomes are achieved. The content expert does not need to run the sim nor solely manage the theory-based debriefing.  They should, review the simulation scenario being used (if it is not a purchased, standardized simulation) to assure for accuracy and currency of nursing best practice and be brought into the debriefing to address questions. Ideally the content expert should be observing the simulation and watch the performance to better engage learning clarity points in collaboration with the facilitator/debriefer.

Clinical instructors often are the content experts and provide valuable insights during the debriefing. They can also be trained in theory-based debriefing and facilitation.  Schools of nursing that are engaging their clinical instructors for “on-campus clinical” are finding great value in their role as the content expert and the richness of the conversations during debriefing.

 These are some of the work arounds being used when funding is limited. The most important consideration is the curriculum planning.  If staffing is an issue, begin there and determine the necessary resources and staffing requirements to run one simulation.

Determine how many faculty course loads can then be allocated to simulation activities beyond that. Once you know that, then you can determine how many hours of simulation you can work with. Review your curriculum map and determine where simulation is essential.  An important consideration is to identify those patient care situations for which every student should have an encounter.  If you can only run one simulation per course or semester, then you start there. Good teaching takes planning and sometimes, thoughtful work arounds. The important consideration is what will be the learning outcome for the student.