Developing interprofessional simulation in the undergraduate setting: Experience with five different professional groups

Abstract

This article reports our experience of developing half-day sessions of interprofessional simulation for pre-qualifying students from medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, radiography and operating department practice. One hundred and ninety-one students participated in a session. A questionnaire consisting of Likert type, visual analog and open comment questions explored their perceptions of the sessions as a learning experience, their attitudes toward interprofessional learning and the factors important for good patient care either after, or before and after, the session, as appropriate. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, statistical tests for difference or thematic coding. Our data suggest that routine scenarios following patient journeys offer such students valuable educational experiences. In order to maximize the educational value of such sessions, particular attention should be paid to the benefits anticipated for individual professions, as well as those for all groups; to the wider educational context in which sessions lie and to the careful management of debriefing. A collaborative approach to the development of these increasingly popular but time and resource intensive educational interventions is advantageous for both staff and students.

Keywords::

• Interprofessional education
• pre-qualifying/pre-licensure
• quantitative method
• simulation

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who assisted with development and running of the sessions: from Birmingham City University, Matthew Aldridge, Chris Reay and Louise Small; from the University of Birmingham: Jacqueline Conduit, Rosie Kneafsey and David Morley; from the University of Worcester, Tracey Valler-Jones; and from Heart of England Foundation Trust, Anne Holland. We are grateful to James Hodson and Ian Davison (University of Birmingham) for assistance with statistical analysis; and to NHS West Midlands for funding.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the writing and content of the paper.