142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Simulation evolution: Interdisciplinary communication and collaboration via a natural disaster simulation

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014 : 1:15 PM - 1:30 PM

Mary Ellen T. Miller, PhD, RN , Department of Nursing and Health, De Sales University, Center Valley, PA
Mary Brinker, MSN, RN
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background:  The importance of communication and collaboration in interdisciplinary teams was identified as a competency central to the education of all health professionals (IOM, 2003). This paper describes how undergraduate public health nursing faculty address this challenge via an interdisciplinary natural disaster simulation.

Description: Over six semesters, spanning three years, a small disaster simulation in an undergraduate nursing course evolved into an interdisciplinary simulation with additional university undergraduate programs, campus police EMS services, community agencies, and another local nursing program.  Currently, this simulation incorporates The Recommended Baccalaureate Competencies and Curricular Guidelines for Public Health Nursing (September 2013 supplement to The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education), addressing Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes.  Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) competencies are emphasized:  Safety and Patient Centered Care. Diadactic preparation includes completion of NIMS 100 training module. Students are assigned to victim or triage roles.  A combination of static mannequins and live victims are moulaged creating extensive wounds. Faculty and students unite with campus Emergency Medical System (EMS), University Police and community agencies to assess, triage and transport victims according to level of care required.

Lessons Learned: Oral debriefing and written summative evaluations reveal the simulation augments students’ critical thinking skills. Monthly interdepartmental and agency planning, minimally 6 months, is necessary for successful implementation. This simulation reinforces the complexity of the healthcare delivery system.

Recommendations: The discussion will highlight challenges, as well as replication strategies, to incorporate a similar interdisciplinary simulation in another campus or community setting.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Other professions or practice related to public health
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Describe the rationale for interdisciplinary disaster simulation in nursing curricula. Discuss implementation strategies for an interdisciplinary disaster simulation. Identify community partners for replication of a similar disaster simulation.

Keyword(s): Disasters, Nursing Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a nurse educator with 25 years of teaching experience. I am a past presenter multiple times at APHA. I teach the undergraduate course where the disaster simulation described in the abstract is conducted.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5194.0: Public Health Nursing Education In and Outside the Box