What happens to a patient after they have a traumatic injury? How can the team of health professionals respond? What should they know about what comes next?
The Interprofessional Trauma Simulation tackles these questions in a fast-paced, hands-on environment where students are pushed to act quickly, yet deliberately, to provide team-based care.
Simulation Description
All team members huddle together to receive short instructions. Teams are released consecutively to rotate through four stations.
Debrief is led by Social Workers and faculty members to discuss provider wellness after intense patient scenarios, followed by a review of the IPEC competencies and feedback from the standardized patients.
- Trauma Station: Using the highest fidelity task trainer, a cadaver, the team responds to a trauma case set in a rural emergency room.
- ICU Step-Down Station: Working with a standardized patient, the team follows-up with the trauma patient 10 days post injury to discuss plan of care leading to discharge. This may include several discussion points and collaboration with other professions depending on the nature of the traumatic injury.
- Discharge Station: Using health literacy tools, the team prepares the patient, again portrayed by a standardized patient, to discharge to home.
- Mobile Outreach: The patient’s caregiver, portrayed by a standardized patient, interacts with the team in a community setting to discuss new onset of their own symptoms while taking care of the patient.
The key objective of the experience is to practice team communication. The scenario, however, is unique in that learners gain exposure to continuity of care across systems for both the patient and the caregiver. Experiences like this are pivotal in preparing the health care leaders of tomorrow who are ready to meet challenges as a team.
Feedback from learners included:
"I liked how we had to act immediately, it put us on the spot and really tested our knowledge."
"Being able to see how everyone can contribute to a trauma experience."
"Helped me understand every role on a healthcare team."
This event is held annually under the leadership of Professor Bruna Varalli-Claypool, MHS, PA-C.
A Note of Thanks
We share gratitude for those who participate in the Willed Body Program. Their selfless gifts to health science education provide an unsurpassed learning opportunity for countless students.
For additional details, please contact IPE-Sim@ouhsc.edu.