Simulation Day Strengthens Collaboration
At Kettering College, our students get hands-on experience in clinical labs, so they can confidently move into professional healthcare careers after graduation. They learn from instructors who are experts in their fields, but they also learn from each other in interprofessional events where students of different areas of study share knowledge and experiences.
One such interprofessional event recently occurred between students in the occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) program, and the respiratory care (RT) program. The day consisted of a simulation lab focused on caring for a patient with respiratory needs. The cross-disciplinary day helps prepare students for future instances in their careers where collaborating with others will be essential to best care for patients.
Chioma Lindo, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy, says, “Respiratory care students had a chance to educate about their profession and were introduced to occupational therapy. The stations we set up allowed respiratory care students to teach and occupational therapy students to gain insight into ways to care for a patient with respiratory needs. It is one of the essential and fun interprofessional experiences OTD students are a part of.”
She adds, “From the beginning, we knew it was important for OTD students to know about the interprofessional aspect of working in healthcare and opportunities to gain hands-on interprofessional experience. When we contacted Hope Appelbaum and the respiratory care department to partner, they immediately jumped on board.”
“We knew it was important for OTD students to know about the interprofessional aspect of working in healthcare and opportunities to gain hands-on interprofessional experience.”
-Chioma Lindo, Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy
Hope Appelbaum, Associate Professor of Respiratory Care, says, “This OTD/RT sim lab has run for three years now, and the most important aspect of this event is the interprofessional team building. Both the RT and OTD students have the opportunity to understand that taking care of the “whole person” is a team effort. The RT students work through the educational process of creating an educational skill station on an important respiratory topic and then make that topic relevant and informative to the OTD student.”
“Both the RT and OTD students have the opportunity to understand that taking care of the ‘whole person’ is a team effort.”
-Hope Appelbaum, Associate Professor, Respiratory Care
The simulation event prepares students to step outside their comfort zones of knowledge and rely on others to help the team resolve issues. Professor Lindo says, “Faculty understood that the hands-on learning experience of students before going on fieldwork is invaluable. And while students have lab-based intervention courses throughout the entire curriculum, this lab brings together the knowledge from all parts of the curriculum, emphasizing synthesis.”
Professor Appelbaum says, “The RT students also have the opportunity to increase their leadership skills, as they are the “expert” facilitating the education, answering any questions that arise. The OTD students get firsthand information on how to safely and effectively care for the respiratory patient, which may not have been covered as in depth as they are in this skills lab. This gives the OTD student the opportunity to experience the skills in a controlled environment, so if mistakes are made, there is no harm to a patient. Then when they have a respiratory patient who is on a ventilator, or has a trachea, the student will have knowledge of how to treat this type of patient safely.”
Professor Appelbaum points out, “This simulation activity helps students begin to achieve the mission of Kettering College through developing the institutional outcomes of Service, Leadership, and Scholarship.”
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