Impostor phenomenon in healthcare simulation educators

Abstract

Impostor phenomenon is the overwhelming feeling of intellectual phoniness and has been linked to decreased job satisfaction and increased levels of stress, depression and burnout. As education and healthcare institutions rely on simulation to train the current and future healthcare workforce, there is a need to improve our understanding of impostor phenomenon in the healthcare simulation context. This study investigated the prevalence of impostor phenomenon in simulation educators and examined the effect of work-related characteristics on impostor phenomenon in the simulation educator community. In total, 148 simulation educators from nine countries participated in an online survey. Along with questions related to demographic characteristics, impostor phenomenon was measured using two scales, the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) and the Leary Impostorism Scale (LIS). Independent variables included gender, time spent on simulation activities per week, years working in simulation and team size. Impostorism was identified in 46.6% of simulation educators. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant interactions or main effects of gender, time spent on simulation activities per week, years working in simulation and team size on impostor phenomenon. Impostor phenomenon does not discriminate based on gender; it does not disappear with experience; and it is present regardless of the size of team. Impostor phenomenon is prevalent across the healthcare simulation educator community. Given the negative impact impostor phenomenon has on well-being and career development, educators, employers and professional societies need to acknowledge the prevalence of impostor phenomenon and start a conversation to build awareness about impostor phenomenon in the healthcare simulation community. Bringing the conversation into the open is the first step to acknowledging feelings of impostorism and developing strategies to break the cycle.