Student experiences of interprofessional simulation: Findings from a qualitative study

Interprofessional simulation provides healthcare profession students an opportunity to collaborate in a team. The purpose of this study was to examine student perspectives of an interprofessional simulation experience within the fields of nursing, physical therapy, nutrition, and social work. An exploratory case study design was employed, using open-ended interview questions post-simulation to generate information about the student’s perceptions of the experience. Based on the content analysis of reflection articles submitted by 100 students across professions, three themes emerged from the data: increased understanding of the role of other professionals, increased sense of confidence and ability to improve patient outcomes, and increased appreciation for inter-professional simulation as a valuable learning experience. Participants felt a sense of comfort in working as a team, which in turn fostered confidence in their own role. This is an important finding, as confidence in one’s own role in conjunction with increased willingness to work in a team is a powerful force for changing the ways in which professions interact with one another. Interprofessional simulation is a teaching strategy that shows great promise for promoting teamwork among the healthcare professions.