Physician assistant and nursing students problem-solve together in high-fidelity simulation: an observational mixed methods study

Safe, effective, efficient patient care depends upon adept collaboration between healthcare providers, making it imperative to incorporate interprofessional training into students’ education. This study involved a high-fidelity simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (sim-IPE) experience involving physician assistant (PA) and prelicensure nursing students, aimed to influence students’ perceptions of their ability to demonstrate IP competencies in the domains of values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, communication, and teams and teamwork. The sim-IPE contained realistic time pressures and required IP collaboration to make decisions that influenced patient outcomes. This study employed an observational pre-post-test design utilizing the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised, Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Scale, Simulation Effectiveness Tool-Modified, and free-text questions to explore what students learned from, liked about, and thought should be changed about the sim-IPE. Students self-reported gains across all IP competency domains. Responses to open-ended questions illuminated how students liked the IP collaboration, realism of the simulation, teamwork and communication, hands-on learning and skill practice, and critical thinking and prioritization. Responses also elaborated on how students learned communication across disciplines, teamwork and collaboration, prioritization and decision-making, and understanding professional roles. While resource-intensive, this sim-IPE yielded a high return on investment by enhancing students’ preparedness for collaborative practice.