Learning by viewing versus learning by doing: A comparative study of observer and participant experiences during an interprofessional simulation training

ABSTRACT

Larger student groups and pressure on limited faculty time have raised the question of the learning value of merely observing simulation training in emergency medicine, instead of active team participation. The purpose of this study was to examine observers and hands-on participants’ self-reported learning outcomes during simulation-based interprofessional team training regarding non-technical skills. In addition, we compared the learning outcomes for different professions and investigated team performance relative to the number of simulations in which they participated. A concurrent mixed-method design was chosen to evaluate the study, using questionnaires, observations, and focus group interviews. Participants included a total of 262 postgraduate and bachelor nursing students and medical students, organised into 44 interprofessional teams. The quantitative data showed that observers and participants had similar results in three of six predefined learning outcomes. The qualitative data emphasised the importance of participating in different roles, training several times, and training interprofessionally to enhance realism. Observing simulation training can be a valuable learning experience, but the students’ preferred hands-on participation and learning by doing. For this reason, one can legitimise the observer role, given the large student groups and limited faculty time, as long as the students are also given some opportunity for hands-on participation in order to become more confident in their professional roles.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional education
• learning by doing
• mixed methods
• observational learning
• patient safety
• simulation-based interprofessional team training

Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Geir Egil Eide of Haukeland University Hospital (HUH) for statistical advice and associate professor Jon-Kenneth Heltne, also of HUH, for planning the course and facilitating the simulations. We would also like to thank associate professor Claire Mallette from York University, Toronto, Canada for her editorial comments.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Funding

The study was funded by Bergen University College and HUH.

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded by Bergen University College and HUH.