Stroke Simulation Activity: A Standardized Patient Case for Interprofessional Student Learning

Introduction: Integration of interprofessional education (IPE) activities into health professions curricula aims to promote collaborative practice with a goal of improving patient care. Methods: Through intercollegiate collaborations involving four different educational organizations and an academic health center, an interprofessional stroke simulation involving standardized patients was developed and instituted for IPE-naive student learners from medicine, nursing, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and physical therapy programs with additional involvement from pharmacy and social work learners. Herein, we describe the design of the IPE simulation and examine its impact on students' interprofessional development as assessed by students' completion of a validated IPE competency self-assessment tool and written reflective comments after the simulation. Results: Self-assessed interprofessional interaction and values domains were evaluated before and after the activity using the shortened 16-question Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Assessment tool; data revealed significant changes in both the values and interaction domains of the tool from pre- to postsimulation experience (p < .0001). The qualitative student reflections revealed new student realizations around the concepts of collaboration, leadership, roles of different professions, and the importance of communication after participating in the simulation. Discussion: Quantitative data coupled with qualitative reflections from learners support the effectiveness of this activity for facilitating development of interprofessional competencies among health professions students.