Healthcare Theatre and Simulation: Maximizing Interprofessional Partnerships

Abstract

Interprofessional collaboration not only improves our ability to offer high-quality patient care, but also offers unique, cost-effective opportunities to teach the next generation of health care providers to do the same. In 2011, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) restructured the traditional model of health care delivery to improve safety, quality, and accessibility to care in a patient-centered climate. However, the path forward remains unclear and under-supported. Educators must take the initiative by bridging partnerships with clinical colleagues to create quality interprofessional learning experiences. Simulation is one such pedagogical tool, as it provides students a safe, controlled clinical setting in which to practice interprofessional communication and teamwork, while reinforcing skills learned in class. This philosophy gave rise to the University of Delaware's (UD) Healthcare Theatre program. Created in 2009 when the College of Health Sciences (Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Behavioral Health and Nutrition) partnered with the College of Arts and Sciences (Theatre and Medical Anthropology) and affiliated tertiary care hospitals, the program provides high-impact, low-cost educational opportunities that both students and teachers have found to be extremely valuable. This article will describe UD Healthcare Theatre to demonstrate how other schools of nursing could incorporate interprofessional education simulations without major curricular change or additional faculty hiring.