Week 3 Reflection

 Technology and Interprofessional Education

    As a nursing educator, interdisciplinary education and interprofessional collaboration are two key components that should be taught in nursing education. Nursing is not a stand-alone profession, but instead one cog of an intricate wheel that requires cohesive teamwork with other professions in order to provide safe and quality care to our patients. 

    Communication and collaboration among disciplines is an essential skill students need to succeed. This website provides educators tips to help students learn communication and collaboration. To best prepare our nursing students for real-world practice, educators should provide experiences with interdisciplinary education and interprofessional collaboration.

     This topic excited me because I am currently immersed in teaching interprofessional collaboration through live simulations at Roberts involving our senior nursing students in conjunction with the social work department students. Due to Covid restrictions, our usual IPE (interprofessional education) simulation had to be sized-back. This usually is a HUGE all-day event that spans across our entire lab/sim facility, using over 20 human actors portraying a bursting emergency room with each patient having complicated social situations and legal complications. This IPE usually involves both the social work department and the criminal justice department. It is a great way for our nursing students to apply their understanding about social work referrals and when police need to get involved due to patient and/or staff safety. We hope that by next spring we can proceed back to our "normal" IPE, but I am enjoying being a part of the lower-scale experience we are currently presenting. I have been playing the role of a DV victim who's husband I bring to the ED after he overdoses. While our nursing students are running his code, I am in a room being interviewed by SW students who help me commit to relocating to a shelter with my two children for our safety. This experience has been eye-opening to our students and we have received positive feedback about the IEP and their interaction with the SW department.

    In order to provide students with the best possible realistic scenarios, technology should be used in these learning experiences. The electronic health record (EHR), high tech patient simulation (HTPS), barcode scanning, QR codes, and other technology should be emphasized to enhance learning. Students report walking away from IPE simulation experiences with better understanding why interdisciplinary collaboration is important to patient safety and quality of care. As educators, we need to prepare 21st century nurses with the tools they need to apply this knowledge to their future careers in various clinical settings.

    This website by the University of New Mexico is focused on Interprofessional Education and is a great resource for innovative educators. Take a moment to explore the site and enjoy the YouTube video below to learn more about IPE!