Operationalization of bandura’s social learning theory to guide interprofessional simulation

Abstract

Background and objective: In the clinical setting, health care professionals are expected to work in teams, yet, there is limited academic exposure to other allied health students and little preparation is done in traditional classrooms to practice with other allied health students. As health professionals work in an environment influenced by social interaction, interprofessional simulation (IPS) instruction may lack necessary frameworks that support professional practice. To promote collaborative learning in IPS that takes into account real interprofessional clinical situations, Bandura’s social learning theory was used as the guiding framework for this pilot simulation study.Methods: Conventional content analysis, as used in study designs to describe a phenomenon, allowed for the flow of categories to be derived from standardized debriefing sessions with nursing and social work students (N = 24).Results: Qualitative data identified three themes capturing students’ voices: effective and efficient patient care, team appreciation, and early implementation of simulation.Discussion and conclusions: Outcomes of this pilot study support the integration of a guiding framework in designing IPS for nursing and social work education that takes into account the social nature of the clinical environment through observed action and replicated behavior for requisite interprofessional skills for clinical practice.