(73) Understanding Scope of Practice, an Interdisciplinary Simulation between Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science Students

Abstract:

Introduction: Nursing and Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) professions work hand in hand to care for patients in the hospital setting and yet little is known about each other’s discipline. Collaboration and communication among healthcare disciplines are of the utmost importance to reduce errors and increase patient outcomes. Interdisciplinary simulation is a great tool to allow other healthcare disciplines to work together for a common goal.

Description: A collaboration between academic departments in MLS and Nursing led to an interdisciplinary simulation that allowed for each discipline to learn from the other. An MLS simulation was created, piloted, and tested with content experts to run simultaneously with an established team dynamic nursing simulation. The commonality between the two simulations was the blood transfusion reaction of the patient. Nurses returned the blood transfusion bag to the blood bank for further workup. A phone call was initiated from the laboratory to the nurses for more information while the patient was in cardiac arrest.

Learners: Senior nursing students (106/104) and senior medical laboratory science students (4/8) in the last semester of a four-year bachelor of science program. N=222 students participated.

Outcomes: The Simulation Effectiveness Tool Modified and post-simulation reflections were used to collect students’ impressions of the simulation. The simulation ran for two consecutive years and data was independently reviewed and coded for recurring themes.

Discussion/

Conclusion: Students verbalized appreciation for each other’s scope of practice and were left with a better understanding of each other’s role in caring for the patient.