Development of a simulation technical competence curriculum for medical simulation fellows.

BACKGROUND AND NEEDS: Medical educators with simulation fellowship training have a unique skill set. Simulation fellowship graduates have the ability to handle basic and common troubleshooting issues with simulation software, hardware, and equipment setup. Outside of formal training programs such as this, simulation skills are inconsistently taught and organically learned. This is important to address because there are high expectations of medical educators who complete simulation fellowships. To fill the gap, we offer one way of teaching and assessing simulation technical skills within a fellowship curriculum and reflect on lessons learned throughout the process. This report describes the instructional designs, implementation, and program evaluation of an educational intervention: a simulation technology curriculum for simulation fellows. CURRICULUM DESIGN: The current iteration of the simulation technical skill curriculum was introduced in 2018 and took approximately 8 months to develop under the guidance of expert simulation technology specialists, simulation fellowship-trained faculty, and simulation center administrators. Kern's six steps to curriculum development was used as the guiding conceptual framework. The curriculum was categorized into four domains, which emerged from the outcome of a qualitative needs assessment. Instructional sessions occurred on 5 days spanning a 2-week block. The final session concluded with summative testing. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Fellows were administered summative objective structured exams at three stations. The performance was rated by instructors using station-specific checklists. Scores approached 100% accuracy/completion for all stations. CONCLUSIONS: The development of an evidence-based educational intervention, a simulation technical skill curriculum, was highly regarded by participants and demonstrated effective training of the simulation fellows. This curriculum serves as a template for other simulationists to implement formal training in simulation technical skills.

Interprofessional Simulation: From the Classroom to Clinical Practice.

Interprofessional simulation (IPS), frequently referred to in the literature as simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (IPE), has been widely studied in nursing and medical education. For decades, the literature has suggested IPE as a valuable strategy for enhancing communication and collaboration among health professionals. Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is foundational to developing high-functioning healthcare teams and can lead to reduced medical errors and increased patient safety. This chapter addresses IPS from both the academic and practice perspectives. The foundations of IPE and IPCP are reviewed, as well as the standards of best practice in simulation. Planning, development, and implementation will be discussed, including benefits, barriers, and possible solutions. Recommendations from relevant research on debriefing and evaluation of IPS are also reviewed. Outcomes from the growing body of research on IPS will be presented and include perceptions of interprofessional practice, better understanding of professional roles and responsibilities, development of communication and teamwork skills, and shared problem-solving and decision-making. Future implications and recommendations are provided based on the state of the science on IPS. Optimum design, implementation, and evaluation of IPS, along with a thorough understanding of the benefits, barriers, and opportunities, can help faculty and clinical educators prepare a collaborative healthcare workforce and reduce medical errors to ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Debriefing Interprofessionally: A Tool for Recognition and Reflection.

As the health care environment increases in complexity and patient acuity rises, health profession graduates need to be prepared to work collaboratively to improve patient outcomes. The interprofessional debriefing tool (Debriefing Interprofessionally: Recognition & Reflection) presented in this article allows any simulation to be transformed into an interprofessional learning opportunity. The debriefing tool frames questions for both uniprofessional and multiprofessional simulation and is aligned with the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice and with Quality and Safety Education for Nurses.

TeamSTEPPS Virtual Teams: Interactive Virtual Team Training and Practice for Health Professional Learners.

Medical errors because of communication failure are common in health care settings. Teamwork training, such as Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), improves team performance and patient outcomes. Academic institutions seek high-quality, low-cost curricula for interprofessional education (IPE) to prepare learners for clinical experiences before and after graduation; however, most IPE curricula involve lectures, simple tabletop exercises, and in-person simulations and are not readily accessible to geographically distributed and asynchronously engaged learners. To address this need, interprofessional faculty from multiple institutions and specialties created a series of eight screen-based interactive virtual simulation cases featuring typical clinical situations, with the goal of preparing learners to provide safe and effective care in clinical teams. Virtual simulations permit flexible, asynchronous learning on the learner's schedule and allow educators an opportunity to identify gaps in knowledge and/or attitudes that can be addressed during class or forum discussions. In 2016, 1,128 unique users accessed the scenarios. As a result of such virtual activities, learner selection of the appropriate TeamSTEPPS tool increased with progression through the scenarios.

An Innovative Role for Nursing Students Within a Student-Run Free Clinic.

Historically, the majority of nurses have been employed by hospitals. However, the changing landscape of health care has seen a shift to other areas of practice. Nursing graduates must be prepared to work collaboratively with a shared vision that is patientcentered and team-oriented. To better prepare students for collaborative practice, a School of Nursing developed a course for senior level nursing students that included a clinical experience within a student-run free clinic. Nursing students were able to enhance clinic services by providing health screening, patient navigation, patient education, health coaching, and patient follow-up.