Clinical Simulation Laboratory

Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice

Training activities at the Clinical Simulation Laboratory use clinical scenarios within a high-fidelity environment to develop best practices for effective teamwork and clinical communication for integrated care teams.

Interprofessional Training

The Clinical Simulation Laboratory brings together individuals, groups and teams for hands-on learning experiences enhanced by the integration of standardized patients and advanced technology in settings that reflect a variety of actual clinical settings.

Why interprofessional practice?

In order to provide the care for patients with complex chronic illnesses, an interprofessional approach has been shown to have the improved outcomes (Zwarenstein, Goldman, & Reeves, 2009). Students must be introduced to this concept early in their education in order to understand the value of all healthcare team members. Interprofessional practice values all voices and expertise as equal partners in creating a plan of care for the patient and family to consider. With the patient and family at the center of care, the IP team must also learn how to respect their patient's unique culture and proceed accordingly.

Interprofessional Core Competency Domains were used as a conceptual framework for this DIVE project. The domains include:

1. Values and Ethics for Interprofessional Practice
2. Roles/Responsibilities
3. Interprofessional Communication
4. Teams and Teamwork

(Interprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011).

Team Training

The Clinical Simulation Lab incorporates evidence-based teamwork strategies to enhance the ability of health care teams to provide high-quality care. In particular, proven techniques to improve communication and collaborative practice are utilized to develop high-functioning teams in patient care settings. Our staff includes certified TeamStepps Maters Trainers. Team training is an effective system for advancing patient safety and efficiency, as well as a powerful solution to improving clinical performance within your organization.