International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background:

When multi-casualty, major incidents occur, an interprofessional response is required [1] and management of these is usually the responsibility of specially trained, experienced staff. Our aim was to pioneer an immersive interprofessional major incident simulation, involving several disciplines and undergraduate paramedic students.

Activity:

Nursing, paramedic, media, journalism, audio technology, and law academics were brought together with Scottish fire and rescue service (SFRS) staff to plan and deliver the simulation. The programme for the day was developed collaboratively and set to achieve a combination of discipline specific and generic interprofessional learning outcomes. As each simulation consisted of multiple casualties, team scenario writing sessions were used to develop storyboards for each casualty. As this exercise had the potential to provoke an emotive response, staff were enlisted to counsel and support anyone who became overwhelmed by the experience, and needed to leave. Journalism students attended the ‘scene’ as television and radio news teams to gain experience of reporting major incidents and conducting press conferences. Media and audio technology students recorded sound and footage of the day, to be used to develop reusable learning objects. SFRS and Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) personnel were put under scrutiny two weeks later by law students who conducted the post-event legal inquiry.

Findings:

As with every simulation, the success of this exercise was in the planning. From the outset, an interprofessional approach was taken, to ensure the learning objectives of all partners were defined and met. The success of this exercise was founded on the sharing of real-life experiences of the interprofessional team, which enabled the creation of an authentic and safe immersive experience. The opportunity to experience exposure to life changing situations, dealing with bereavement in tragic circumstances, teamwork, and addressing ethical and legal professional issues featured highly in student satisfaction. Learning together was not unique to the students. Experienced professionals reported finding value in developing their skills when under pressure from enthusiastic journalists and giving evidence in a legal setting.

Conclusion:

With careful planning and a team approach, large scale immersive interprofessional simulation is possible. This enhances the student experience while preparing them for the real world and facilitates cross discipline learning from both a student and faculty perspective. Further research is required to measure the long-term impact of such exercises and how these can build resilience in the future workforce.

Reference

1. Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Survey: Executive Summary. UK: Skills for Justice and Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP); 2013.