PURPOSE:
Healthcare professionals increasingly face professional accountability challenges, yet students may lack confidence in raising safety concerns or understanding their professional responsibilities. Traditional simulation focuses on clinical skills; however, observational simulation creating immersive learning experiences demonstrates significant potential for developing professional understanding, patient safety awareness, and interprofessional collaboration. We designed and delivered "In the Dock™," an innovative educational package featuring simulated Coroner's Court inquest into neonatal death. Problem-based learning underpinned the instructional design, creating a safe environment for midwifery and paramedic students to explore professional realities. The programme expanded from 43 participants (2022) to 80 participants (2024), demonstrating growing recognition of its value.

DISCUSSION:
Comprehensive evaluation across three years (2022-2024) reveals consistently high satisfaction scores (4.61/5 average). Students demonstrated significant learning gains across core objectives: professional accountability understanding (4.28-4.80/5), teamwork and communication importance (4.36-4.87/5), coroner process knowledge (4.28-4.78/5), and statement writing competency (4.52-4.73/5). Interprofessional learning was particularly valued (4.82/5 in 2024). Qualitative feedback highlighted five key themes: accountability, record keeping and statement writing, recognising deviations from normal and appropriate escalation, investigation processes, and interprofessional collaboration. Students reported feeling better prepared for professional challenges and understanding the emotional impact on families and clinicians as "second victims."The learning package continues evolving to include scenarios from diverse healthcare professional environments, fostering genuine interprofessional understanding.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
NA

KEY MESSAGE:
Evidence demonstrates authentic immersive simulation effectively bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and professional practice realities, preparing students for accountable practice in complex healthcare environments Education - digital/simulation