Planning an Interprofessional Simulation: Overcoming the Excuses and Moving Forward

Presented by:

Jennifer Essig, Indiana University South Bend

Maryann Oake, Indiana University South Bend

Stop letting time and energy prevent you from creating the collaborative learning experiences you dream about for your students. Simulations can start small and grow.

Hear it from the author:

Planning an Interprofessional Simulation: Overcoming the Excuses and Moving ForwardJennifer Essig, Indiana University South Bend

00:00 / 01:24

In today’s interdisciplinary healthcare environment, collaboration is essential for optimal patient outcomes. Recognizing this, faculty from speech-language pathology (SLP) and radiography programs at Indiana University South Bend designed a joint simulation to foster interprofessional education (IPE). The goal was to help students understand each other’s roles in conducting Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) studies, improve communication between disciplines, and practice clinical skills like radiation safety and patient transfers in a low-stakes setting. Despite initial challenges—such as scheduling conflicts, unfamiliarity with each other’s curricula, and equipment limitations—the team successfully launched a small-scale simulation. Students rotated through hands-on activities and engaged in meaningful debriefs. Post-event evaluations showed overwhelmingly positive feedback, with all respondents strongly agreeing on the value and effectiveness of the experience. The success of this pilot has inspired plans for future iterations with more students, extended debrief time, and earlier coordination. This initiative highlights how intentional collaboration can break down barriers and enrich student learning across disciplines.

Key words:

Collaborative Learning, Instructional Methods, Interactive Instruction

Abstract:

Speech-language pathologists work closely with radiography technicians to perform modified barium swallow studies. This relationship requires an understanding of each profession’s role as well as communication to protect the patient and the clinicians from harmful radiation exposure and to obtain the highest quality images for patient care. Recognizing that our students needed to learn from each other, faculty from both the speech language pathology and radiography departments collaborated to create an interdisciplinary simulation experience for the students in both departments.
Faculty will explain how they embarked on this experience, the pre-simulation planning, student response to the simulation, and lessons learned.

Outcomes:

1. Participants will learn how to clarify and define the roles of different professionals in a simulation, emphasizing the importance of effective interdisciplinary communication to ensure both student engagement and realistic, high-quality learning experiences.
2. Participants will explore practical strategies for planning interdisciplinary simulations, including the development of learning objectives, coordination between departments, and the creation of realistic scenarios to enhance collaboration among participants.
3. Participants will learn how to clarify and define the roles of different professionals in a simulation, emphasizing the importance of effective interdisciplinary communication to ensure both student engagement and realistic, high-quality learning experiences.

References:

Cant, R. P., & Cooper, S. J. (2010). Simulation in healthcare education: A systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(1), 3–15.

Issenberg, S. B., McGaghie, W. C., Petrusa, E. R., Lee, G. W., & Scalese, R. J. (2005). Simulation in healthcare education: A review. Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 7(4), 390–401.

López, M. M., Reverté-Villarroya, S., & Morell-Garcia, D. (2019). Simulation-based education in healthcare: Current status and future directions. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(23–24), 4317–4329.

Martin-Harris, B., Bonilha, H. S., Brodsky, M. B., Francis, D. O., Fynes, M. M., Martino, R., O’Rourke, A. K., Rogus-Pulia, N. M., Spinazzi, N. A., & Zarzour, J. (2021). The Modified Barium Swallow Study for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: Recommendations from an interdisciplinary expert panel. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6(3), 610–619. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_persp-20-00303

Russell, S., Applegate, K., & Kang, J. (2013). Speech-language pathologists’ radiation knowledge and practices during completion of the MBSS: A survey. Journal of Medical Speech-language Pathology, 21(4), 369–391.