An Acute Care Patient Simulation's Impact on Student Self-perceptions of Interprofessional Competencies
Poster Description: Background: Preparing students in healthcare programs for the complex acute care hospital setting has many challenges including proving competency with high-technology equipment and working within multidisciplinary teams while managing medically-complex patients. Early development of interprofessional competencies is supported by feedback from students and clinicians (Sheldon et al, 2012). Healthcare programs utilize interprofessional education (IPE) to facilitate learning between professionals, prepare students for clinical education, and focus on four core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice (IPEC, 2016): roles/responsibilities, values/ethics, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork. Physical therapy and nursing studies show exposing students to interprofessional learning opportunities enhances the development of psychomotor skills needed for effective patient management in acute care (Cunningham et al, 2017, Wellmon et al, 2017, Coppola et al, 2019, Karnish et al, 2019). Furthermore, teaching these skills prior to licensure is critical. Immersive and simulation-based learning experiences are one curricular approach for developing interprofessional collaboration. High-fidelity simulations, mimicking human physiology/functionality, allow for a safe learning environment and positively alter students’ attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration (Lefebre, 2015, Wellmon, 2017). Simulations using role-play and standardized patients demonstrate positive outcomes in students’ attitudes toward interprofessional roles, communication, values, and teamwork; however most studies' outcomes focus on changes in student attitudes with very limited reporting on competency attainment (Costello, 2017, Karnish et al, 2019, Schram et al, 2015, Smith et al, 2018). The aim of this study is to investigate the students’ attainment of interprofessional competencies in regards to roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teamwork during an interprofessional acute care simulation.
Design: Quasi-experimental pre-posttest design examined changes in perceived attainment of interprofessional competencies for interprofessional communication, roles and responsibilities, and teamwork in physical therapy and nursing students using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey (ICCAS) before and after a simulation experience.
Results: Quantitative data (Nf56) analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in perceived competency attainment in communication (p
Conclusion: A classroom-based simulated learning experience can provide an effective and cost-effective means of improving students’ interprofessional competencies in communication, roles and responsibilities, and teamwork in an acute care-based clinical situation to engage all participants through direct experiential learning.
Reflections: The ICCAS adequately measured the event's learning objectives. Pre-survey scores of the ICCAS were higher than expected, possibly due to completing Wingate's 4-part IPE didactic curriculum before this event rather than prior clinical experience. The generous, positive, unsolicited student feedback was surprising and welcome.
