Interprofessional Simulation: Students\u27 Perceptions

An alarming number of errors occur in the healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) responded to the error rate by encouraging changes in professional education and recommending interdisciplinary team training. A variety of professions, including aviation and the military, have utilized simulation in their education and training for mastering skills and also to assist with respect and appreciation of other professional roles on the healthcare team. The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate nursing students, graduate social work students, and APRN students’ perceptions of one another as healthcare professionals using interdisciplinary simulation. The research study was a quantitative descriptive study using a pre-test, intervention, post-test design with a nonprobability, convenience sample. The participants were asked to complete the IEPS questionnaire, an eighteen-question survey with a 6-point Likert scale that measures the effect of interprofessional education experiences on students. The participants then took part in four interprofessional simulations scenarios with debriefing sessions following each scenario. The same IEPS was completed at the end of the day. 109 participants from the mentioned disciplines participated in the study. Statistically significant higher scores were found on the posttest questionnaires in 17 of the 18 questions. The study supports the use of interprofessional simulation in higher education and also provides a proven benefit related to perceptions of other disciplines