Abstract
This chapter addresses the innovative solutions implemented by faculty members at Regis University to pivot simulation experiences to a virtual platform during a global pandemic. Healthcare faculty ensured nursing and pharmacy students actively engaged in content and with one another without sacrificing the necessary interprofessional knowledge. The authors adapted a previously in-person acute care simulation to a virtual platform by utilizing technology and specific, intentional pre-simulation, during simulation, and post-stimulation knowledge checks. By following the standards for interprofessional, nursing, and pharmacy education, the authors were able to execute this simulation and implement meaningful feedback for continued advancement for future students. The continued goal of the simulation will be to provide students with high-stress, low-occurrence acute care patient experiences while working closely with other members of the healthcare team to enable students to experience required, necessary curriculum before graduation and working on the frontlines of healthcare.
TopIntroduction
In 2016, faculty recognized a need to match the clinical realities of interprofessional practice experiences to simulation experiences. Therefore, several faculty members created an interprofessional acute care (medical surgical) simulation with a collaborated debrief for nursing and pharmacy students as a part of students’ clinical experience. The faculty employed simulation exercises based on cases in Docucare for undergraduate medical surgical nursing students for more than 15 years. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a sense of urgency to develop virtual experiences for nursing and pharmacy students while following healthcare discipline, interprofessional, and simulation standards. In addition to satisfying accreditation requirements, this simulated experience provided healthcare students with essential experience in collaborating with other healthcare team members prior to graduation in their respective fields of practice. In the academic year of 2020-2021, the acute care (medical surgical) simulations pivoted to a virtual format, in adherence to CDC guidelines on socially distant education, while maintaining accreditation standards and best practices of care. This ensured students continued to participate in interprofessional learning as a part of both the nursing and pharmacy curriculum. The switch from in-person to virtual learning relied on planning, frequent feedback and adaptations to the simulation, as well as dedication from the healthcare faculty.
At the end of this chapter the authors will describe the adaptions and execution of the in-person acute care simulation activities to the virtual/remote learning opportunities. Readers will also review the importance of interprofessional simulation for healthcare students, as supported by accrediting bodies for higher education. In addition, the authors will identify ways to utilize technologies to facilitate virtual simulation activities while incorporating curricular requirements to the virtual environment (e.g. debriefing for meaningful learning, communication skills, healthcare education knowledge specific to discipline).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Acute Care: Care in an institutional/hospital setting for patients with immediate, urgent medical needs.
Debrief for Meaningful Learning: A process used in simulation labs to help nursing students “think like a nurse.” Using questioning, analysis and nursing process/clinical judgment models, the students refine their clinical judgment, and reflective thinking.
Virtual Learning: Curricular requirements delivered to students via remote technologies with audio and video capabilities for active engagement to supplement or replace in-person teaching.
Simulation Preparation Nursing: The process, curriculum, and material utilized to ensure nursing students are ready to actively engage, participate and communicate during the experience by reviewing disease-states, learning objectives, and expectations.
Simulation Preparation Pharmacy: The process, curriculum, and material utilized to ensure pharmacy students are ready to actively engage, participate and communicate during the experience by reviewing disease-states, learning objectives, and expectations.
IPEC: The Interprofessional Education Collaborative supports interprofessional learning amongst schools of healthcare education to encourage, unite, and promote interprofessional experiences by utilizing core values to ensure graduates are competent working with others fin patient-centered care.
Simulation: Specific, designed scenario to ensure student exposure to an intentional, real-world high intensity situation in a controlled environment for the purpose of achieving defined learning objectives in an experience that otherwise may not occur.
ACPE: The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education accredits Schools of Pharmacy across the United States based on standards developed and maintained to graduate practice-ready pharmacists.
Interprofessional Education: Opportunities within the curriculum for students to have intentional, dedicated sessions to learn from and with other healthcare providers to prepare for real-world experiences working with interdisciplinary teams for patient care.
INACSL: The International Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning defined outcomes and objectives for Simulation. Goals setting, facilitation, methodology, and debriefing.
PPCP: The Pharmacist Patient Care Process unifies pharmacists with the consistent approach to provide patient-centered, evidence-based care with interventions tailored to the desired outcome of the patient(s) while working collaboratively with other healthcare provides.