Upon graduation, healthcare professionals are expected be able to effectively communicate and collaborate with other members of a multidisciplinary team. Students in health profession programs rarely interact with others outside their discipline, which can leave them unprepared for practice which can potentially put patients at risk for harm (Institute of Medicine, 2015). Identifying meaningful interprofessional education (IPE) activities that are effective in achieving the Core Competencies (IPEC, 2016)can be challenging for educators. However, simulation has demonstrated positive results by providing a safe learning environment for interprofessional experiences in order to promote communication and teamwork among health professionals (Costello et al., 2017). The purpose of this presentation is to describe an innovative project that incorporated simulation technology to enhance nursing students’ collaboration with students from other health professions during a learning experience.
Methods:
To maximize resources, a creative approach utilizing simulation in the large classroom setting was developed. This approach was selected because the positive findings in the literature regarding simulation the classroom (Carson & Harder, 2016; Rode, Callihan, & Barnes, 2016). Learning objectives were identified by faculty from nursing, pharmacy, and social work and in line with the IPEC Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPEC, 2016). The multidisciplinary team utilized a template adapted from the National League for Nursing (2018) designed to guide simulation activities. The team also used the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (2018) Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSMto guide the development and implementation of the simulation in the classroom. The prebriefing, simulation, and debriefing were led by a nursing faculty member who was well-versed in the Standards of Best Practice: SimulationSM(INACSL, 2018). At the beginning of the experience, students from the three disciplines were instructed to be seated in groups that contained one or more students from social work, pharmacy, and nursing. Students watched a series of three sequential videos related to the same patient case. The videos were recorded using a standardized patient in the simulation center’s home health suite. After each video, students worked in teams to address concerns and develop a plan of care for the complex patient. The plan was initially discussed in small interprofessional groups, then as a larger group. Following all three videos and discussions, the facilitator transitioned to debriefing. Students discussed what they learned about each other and the importance of collaboration to provide quality, effective patient care.
Results:
The experience was evaluated by students completing the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) before and immediately following the experience. There was a statistically significant increase in students’ responses on the IPEC competencies. In addition, students stated it was an exceptional learning experience because they learned about other disciplines, how to work in a team, and how to communicate with other members of a multidisciplinary team.
Conclusion:
This innovative approach of incorporating simulation technology in the large classroom was effective and may be utilized to prepare students to provide safe, effective care. Also, this approach provided a cost effective method to ensure students had experience collaborating with other health professionals.