International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background and aim:

In 2021, a diverse international and inter-professional team designed and implemented an intensive in-person simulation week and an interactive online learning programme to enhance student preparation for clinical placement (the Clinical Placement Enhancement Project) supported with funding from Health Education England. The simulation programme aimed for students to develop their patient-centred communication skills, assessment and therapeutic management by attending three simulation scenarios and inter-professional understanding through participation in a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting. The bespoke online programme was designed with similar learning outcomes and utilized various learning materials, including 360° images of clinical environments linked to case studies.

Methods:

The study design was an integrative mixed-methods feasibility study, with 29 AHP students participating in the simulation and 24 students taking part in the online arm of the study. Students from physiotherapy, occupational therapy and podiatry self-selected their preferred delivery mode for placement preparation. The evaluation explored the experiences of both domestic and international students attending the simulation and using the online learning. In addition, perspectives of the clinical educators and actor role players were explored. Data were inductively analysed using a reflexive thematic approach and integrated with the quantitative data.

Results:

The key findings from the pilot study showed the value of the simulation programme in allowing students to apply their learning, particularly helping them to develop their confidence in communication, rapport building and interventions. By contrast, the online learning programme was most effective at developing students’ clinical reasoning and proficiency with documentation [1]. We have built on these findings this year, to upscale the simulation programme to include all first-year AHP students (n = 130). We have reduced the number of scenarios from three to one, choosing the frailty scenario as this meets the generic outcomes for the programme and the profession-specific learning outcomes. We have retained the MDT simulation as an inter-professional simulation but modified the delivery from a ‘fishbowl style’ to a theatre forum to increase capacity. We have updated the online learning programme to be used as a supplementary learning resource before and during the simulation week. The content has been organized into inter-professional and profession-specific learning materials so that the site is easily navigated and accessible.

Conclusion:

By combining the immersive simulation with the online learning, we have created a sustainable and achievable approach to better prepare AHP students for clinical placement, and this combined approach may help to reduce the burden for our clinical educators.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.