Interprofessional Education in Nursing and Physical Therapy Programs at Rockhurst University Nick Barbaglia, SPT; Eric Brocksmith, SPT, CSCS; Hannah Buenger, SPT; Paige Foster, SPT, Amanda Foster, SPT Faculty mentors: Marcie Swift, PT, PhD, FAAOMPT and Amy Foley, PT, DPT, CEEAA Background: Clinical simulations are increasingly being used in physical therapist and nursing education. The purpose of this research study was to 1) To determine clinical competency and readiness to practice in physical therapist students who experience clinical training through simulation in interprofessional education. 2) To collect baseline student learning outcomes for physical therapy students on communication and interprofessional collaboration, and 3) To evaluate student satisfaction with the interprofessional simulation experience.
Subjects: Twenty-five physical therapy (PT) students were recruited to participate in this study.
Methods: Subjects completed an acute care simulation in which they evaluated and provided intervention to 2 patients on an orthopedic floor of an acute care hospital setting. Expert PT clinicians observed the simulation and scored the PT student’s performance related to the learning objectives of the simulation. The students completed a satisfaction survey upon completion of their participation in the simulation.
Results: Purpose 1:One hundred percent of subjects were able to synthesize PT knowledge to safely manage patient care. The ability to integrate evidence-based practice to facilitate clinical reasoning and decision-making was reported in 82% of subjects. Purpose 2:Eighty-three percent of subjects were able to implement effective communication & inter-professional collaboration to facilitate delivery of quality patient-centered care. Purpose 3: Regarding to whether this simulation enhanced their learning of acute care content, 95% of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed, 91% of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that this experience enhanced their clinical reasoning skills and 100% of the subjects agreed or strongly agreed that the scenario increased their confidence level in their ability to provide physical therapy care.
Conclusion: Clinical simulations in physical therapy education are expected to help ensure competencies in clinical practice. Future studies will need to address the reliability and validity of the satisfaction survey and expand on the variety of professionals who are part of a multi-disciplinary team.