Working together in interprofessional simulation and healthcare

Interprofessional education is key to preparing the next generations of health sciences professionals. 

On Monday, April 15, Creighton students from healthcare professions – medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy and physician assistant – took part in an interprofessional stroke simulation on the Phoenix campus. Paramedicine students from the Omaha campus attended virtually. The event in the building's dedicated interprofessional simulation space was organized by faculty and staff. 

In the simulation, students experienced a patient cerebrovascular accident (stroke) and were asked to work as a team to evaluate and formulate a care plan for a standardized patient from onset to discharge.

"Bringing students in different areas of healthcare together in a lifelike scenario allowed students to not only learn about stroke patient care, but more importantly allowed them to learn how to orchestrate patient care as a team," said Chelsea Sandidge, program manager for Creighton's Center for Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research (CIPER).

Simulated medical teams ran through the simulation with each profession showcasing their role and responsibilities in the care of a stroke patient, but with the overall goal of emphasizing the concepts of teamwork, interprofessional communication and team-based care.

"This was an extremely valuable opportunity to learn from my peers in a variety of different healthcare professions. Not only was the simulation incredibly informative, it also allowed me to experience what is like to work on a patient-care team in the real world," said Megan Pavy, student in the Creighton School of Medicine.

Jane Stein, PharmD, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, said the health sciences educational simulation experience supports the needs of the students to succeed in their profession after college. 

"This event showed Creighton pharmacy students that participating in an interprofessional stroke simulation event allows them to hone their clinical skills within a team environment, improve communication skills within the team, enhance interdisciplinary collaboration for decision making and contribute to the delivery of high-quality care for (stroke) patients."

Following the simulation, faculty and staff hosted a panel discussion with an interdisciplinary stroke care team from Barrow Neurological Institute. Panelists spoke about their team-based approach to patient care and answered questions.

"This was an extremely valuable opportunity to learn from my peers and professionals in a variety of different healthcare professions. Not only was the simulation incredibly informative, it also allowed me to experience what is like to work on a patient-care team in the real world," said Megan Pavy, student in the Creighton School of Medicine.