Outcomes of an interprofessional simulation curriculum

Purpose – Interprofessional education (IPE) is a method to create an environment that fosters interprofessional communication, understanding the roles and responsibilities of each profession, learning the skills to organize and communicate information for patients, families and members of the health care team. Providing IPE to health professional students can prepare them in the workforce to have the necessary skills to function in a collaborative practice ready environment. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the methods used in developing IPE curriculum, faculty training as debriefers/facilitators, identify learning objectives and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The faculty and student surveys utilized a Likert scale. Learning objectives for the student survey assessed learning objective including communication of roles and responsibilities, communication and organization of information, engagement of other health professions (HP) in shared patient-centered problem solving, interprofessional assessment of patient status, and preparation of patients from transition of care to home. The faculty survey assessed faculty experience levels in IPE, role as facilitator/debriefer, and future needs for sustainability of the program. Findings – Student evaluation of IPE simulation experience revealed students believed they improved their interprofessional communication skills and had a better understanding of health professional roles and responsibilities. Faculty feedback indicated that HP students achieved learning objectives and their continued commitment to IPE however additional training and development were identified as areas of need. Practical implications – This paper can assist other educational institutions in developing IPE and structuring IPE assessment particularly in the HPs. Social implications – The public health care will be impacted positively by having health care providers specifically trained to work in teams and understand collaborative care. Student graduates in the HPs will be better prepared to function as a team in real clinical care following their participation in interprofessional simulation. Originality/value – This interprofessional simulation curriculum involves student learners from eight different HPs and participation of over 30 faculty from differing professions. This curriculum is unique in its bread and depth of collaboration and true teamwork across disciplines.