Professionalisation of Medical Education

Simulation-based training (SBT) has been on the rise as a medical education methodology in Germany since the 1980s, characterising this period of change in terms of professionalisation and institutionalisation. Jasmin Dierkes illustrates how SBT reflects significant historical and contemporary shifts in education, science and technology, and the medical profession, all of which are undergoing profound, albeit incremental, changes. Her study provides insights for researchers specialising in professional development, transformation, medical materiality, or educational and institutional structures, as well as to stakeholders in medical or higher education.

Jasmin Dierkes, born in 1995, is a sociologist and STS scholar who works on medical sociology, the sociology of professions and educational studies, employing contemporary and historical analysis. From 2022 to 2025, she completed her doctorate at Bergische Universität Wuppertal. Her recent work on simulation-based training in medical education sheds light on the training techniques and technologies of a >classical profession< , representing subtle changes in professional teaching and working standards.