MedAscend Partners with Simulation Collective

Healthcare education faces constant challenges in providing effective, scalable training for future clinicians.

One of the most critical skills for healthcare professionals is clinical reasoning and communication, which requires repeated practice and reliable assessment. Now, UK educators have a new resource to support these needs available on the NHS Supply Chain thanks to a partnership between MedAscend and Simulation Collective.

A Partnership Rooted in Shared Values

The collaboration between MedAscend and Simulation Collective began at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) 2026. From the start, both teams recognised a shared commitment to quality, integrity, and meaningful impact in healthcare education. This partnership is not about adopting technology for its own sake but about solving real educational challenges.

MedAscend was created by medical students who understood the pressures and gaps in healthcare training. Their AI-supported simulated patients provide learners with a safe, repeatable environment to practice clinical history taking, questioning, and decision-making. Simulation Collective brings this innovative tool to UK universities, NHS organisations, and healthcare training providers, making it more accessible to educators and learners.

How MedAscend Supports Clinical Education

MedAscend’s platform offers several practical benefits for healthcare educators and students:

• Safe Practice Environment

Learners can engage with AI simulated patients repeatedly without risk to real patients. This allows them to refine their questioning and clinical reasoning skills at their own pace.

• Consistent Formative Assessment

Educators gain clearer insights into learner progress through structured, repeatable assessments. This consistency helps identify areas for improvement and track development over time.

• Integration with Existing Training

The platform complements current simulation exercises, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), and teaching methods without adding extra workload for faculty.

• Scalability

MedAscend enables training at scale, supporting large cohorts of students or staff across multiple institutions.

Jake Rahman and the Simulation Collective team understand the responsibility that comes with introducing AI into healthcare education. Their goal is to provide tools that genuinely improve how future clinicians learn, not just to follow trends.

"The AI gold rush is on, but very few offerings will genuinely enhance the experience of healthcare students. After meeting Hana and Ahmed at the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH 2026), I was convinced that the MedAscend platform can make a real difference to formative assessment and history taking across healthcare specialties. What’s most compelling is that it was created by healthcare students for healthcare students, ensuring a deep understanding of how it should be used" - Jake Rahman, Founder of Simulation Collective

Real Impact on UK Healthcare Training

The UK healthcare system faces increasing demands for well-trained clinicians who can think critically and communicate effectively. MedAscend’s AI simulated patients offer a practical solution to these challenges by:

• Allowing NHS training programs to provide more frequent and standardized clinical reasoning practice

• Supporting universities in delivering consistent formative assessments across diverse student groups

• Helping educators identify gaps in learners’ clinical skills early, enabling targeted interventions

  
  

For example, a university using MedAscend can assign AI patient scenarios tailored to specific specialties or difficulty levels. Students practice clinical history taking and receive immediate feedback, helping them prepare for real patient encounters and OSCEs. Educators can then review performance data to guide teaching sessions.

Looking Ahead

This partnership marks a significant step in making advanced simulation technology more accessible across the UK healthcare education landscape. By combining MedAscend’s student-driven innovation with Simulation Collective’s local expertise, educators gain a powerful tool to enhance clinical training.

As AI continues to evolve, tools like MedAscend will play an important role in supporting healthcare learners. The focus remains on practical, meaningful improvements that help students build confidence and competence.

UK educators interested in exploring MedAscend can connect with MedAscend or Simulation Collective via hellohester@simulationcollective.com to learn how the platform fits into their existing programs and supports their teaching goals.