SIUE Schools of Dental Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy Conduct Interdisciplinary Educational Simulation
February 27, 2015, 1:11 PM
The unique interdisciplinary effort was supported by a $7,425 Excellence in Undergraduate Education (EUE) grant through the University. The EUE program funds projects that contribute to excellence and innovation in undergraduate education.
“Very little education is given to any health care discipline students regarding dealing with the issues surrounding reporting a medical error,” said Christine Durbin, associate professor in the SIUE School of Nursing. “It is essential to offer this perspective and approach to health care education to facilitate a team approach to patient care in the respective graduates.”
Students from the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance acted as family members of a patient who suffered a medical error. Teams of students from each professional school were tasked with informing the patient’s family of the situation and dealing with any distraught behavior.
“Each health care team needed to achieve the goals of providing truthful information, continued support for the patient, concern and support for the family member, and re-connection of trust with the care givers,” explained Terri Poirier, professor in the SIUE School of Pharmacy.
“This project supports SIUE’s mission of providing authentic, real world experiences, using a simulation exercise,” added Ann Popkess, assistant professor in the SIUE School of Nursing. “It fosters collaborations and teamwork among our different health professional program,” said Toni Roucka, associate dean of academic affairs in the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine.
The collaborative effort was the first of its kind at the University. Students’ responses and reactions were recorded. All students involved will complete post-tests and write reflections on the experience.
