Statewide Interprofessional Faculty Development in Simulation-Based Education for Health Professions

Mapping the Terrain of Faculty Development for Simulation: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

Understanding what interventions and approaches are currently being used to improve the knowledge, skills, and effectiveness of instructors in simulation-based education is an integral step for carving out the future of simulation. The current study is a scoping review on the topic, to uncover what is known about faculty development for simulation-based education.We screened 3259 abstracts and included 35 studies in this scoping review. Our findings reveal a clear image that the landscape of faculty development in simulation is widely diverse, revealing an array of foundations, terrains, and peaks even within the same zone of focus. As the field of faculty development in simulation continues to mature, we would hope that greater continuity and cohesiveness across the literature would continue to grow as well. Recommendations provided here may help provide the pathway toward that aim.

A systematic review of faculty development programs based on the Harden teacher's role framework model

BACKGROUND

Despite the changing roles of faculty in the health professions over the past two decades, none of the reviews has been paid enough attention to the impact of the faculty development programs on these roles. The objective of this review is to synthesize the existing evidence that addresses the questions: "What are the types and outcomes of faculty development programs based on the Harden teachers' role framework and which of the areas described by Harden and Crosby are the authors referring to?"

METHODS

This review was conducted according to the guidance for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. In 2020, a literature search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Magiran and SID databases. The review included 119 studies (between 1990 and 2020) that met the review criteria. Data were extracted using a modified coding sheet. We used the modified Kirkpatrick model to assess the educational outcomes of faculty development programs.

RESULTS

The majority of faculty development programs were workshops (33.61%) with various durations. Most programs focused on the domain of information provider and coach (76.47%), followed by the facilitator of learning and mentor (53.78%) and assessor and diagnostician (37.81%). Only five faculty development programs focused on the domain of role model. The majority (83.19%) of outcomes reported were at level 2B, level 1 (73.95%) and level 2A (71.42%). Gains in knowledge and skills related to teaching methods and student assessment were frequently noted. Behavior changes included enhanced teaching performance, development of new educational curricula and programs, improved feedback and evaluation processes, new leadership positions, increased academic output and career development. The impact on the organizational practice continued to be underexplored.

CONCLUSION

Based on the review findings, broadening the scope of faculty development programs beyond the traditional roles of the faculty members by utilizing a competency-based framework for developing a comprehensive faculty development program is recommended. Attention to individualized form of faculty development programs and incorporating more informal approaches into the design and delivery of faculty development programs is also needed.

Ongoing training and peer feedback in simulation-based learning for local faculty development: A participation action research study

BACKGROUND

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is often used in healthcare education. Professional development has been identified as crucial to the success of SBL. Effective, high-quality SBL requires facilitators who are multiskilled and have a range of SBL-related knowledge, skills and attitudes, which require time and practice to acquire. However, investment in facilitators' competence is often limited, particularly at smaller institutions without an associated simulation centre.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to describe how a smaller university college with limited resources and limited facilitation experience has initiated continuing professional development and how this continuing professional development has contributed to maintaining and developing SBL facilitators' competence.

METHOD

Participatory action research has been used to improve the practice of SBL facilitators at a university college in Norway. The evaluations and reflections of 10 facilitators engaged in professional development and 44 national simulation conference participants have been analysed by way of Vaismoradi's qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

A culture of participation and engagement and a clear professional development structure are both of crucial importance in the implementation and maintenance of continuing professional development in SBL. When these are present, not only does facilitation become more transparent, but facilitators become more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, manage to address these and perceive an improvement in their confidence and competence.

CONCLUSIONS

Facilitators at smaller institutions without an associated simulation centre can improve their competence and confidence in SBL beyond the initial course, despite the absence of experienced mentors. The results indicate the importance of engaging in ongoing training and self-reflection based on peer feedback, the facilitators' own experience and up-to-date literature. Implementing and maintaining professional development at smaller institutions requires a clear structure, clear expectations and a culture of participation and development.

Implementing Standardized Patient Caregivers to Practice Difficult Conversations in a Pediatric Dentistry Course

INTRODUCTION

Standardized patient (SP) methodology has been used in health professional education to help students develop communication, deeper diagnostic reasoning, and critical thinking skills. Few examples demonstrate the use of SPs to practice difficult conversations with pediatric caregivers in the pediatric dentistry literature. The objective of this educational activity was to describe the implementation of three SPs in a pediatric dentistry course for second-year dental students.

METHODS

We developed three SP encounters covering interactions with caregivers of an infant with severe early childhood caries, an adolescent on the path to gender affirmation, and a child with autism and dental caries whose caregiver was resistant to fluoride- and silver-containing dental materials. We describe the case design process, rubric construction and calibration, student debriefing, and pandemic modifications. We evaluated the effectiveness of the implementation by thematic analysis of student reflections following each encounter using a qualitative descriptive framework.

RESULTS

Eighty-three students completed each encounter. Qualitative analysis showed that students preferred a more realistic encounter by having a child or other distraction present. Students relied on different elements of motivational interviewing depending on the objective of each encounter and the age of the patient. Overall, the SP encounters were well received by students and faculty as an alternative or supplement to traditional student evaluation methods.

DISCUSSION

We noted a number of lessons learned about implementing SP methodology in pediatric dental education. With these experiences now in place, future evaluations should measure student performance in the SP encounters against student performance during clinical care.

Effects of a Debriefing Workshop for Simulation Educators in Nursing

Simulation educators play an essential role in debriefing to induce learning outcomes following a simulation activity. Training programs are needed to ensure and maintain the simulation educator's debriefing competency. This study aimed to identify the effects of a 4-hour debriefing workshop on knowledge, debriefing competency, and satisfaction. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The debriefing workshop consisted of a lecture, a practicum for debriefing competency rating (peer evaluation, learner evaluation), a presentation, and a group discussion. A convenience sample of 22 simulation educators completed a self-administered questionnaire. The pretest-posttest difference in knowledge and debriefing competency was analyzed using a paired t test. The results indicated that simulation educators had a higher posttest than pretest knowledge score. Training also significantly improved the overall elements of the perceived simulation educator debriefing competency. The simulation educators were generally satisfied with the debriefing workshop. The debriefing workshop positively affected the simulation educators' knowledge, debriefing competency, and satisfaction. Further study is needed to identify the translational effects of a faculty development program regarding debriefing on learner outcomes.

Identifying and Addressing Statewide Nursing Simulation Needs

ABSTRACT

A statewide simulation assessment was conducted in one southeastern state using the Program Assessment Survey for Simulation. Simulation coordinators from 22 prelicensure nursing programs were interviewed. The findings revealed several areas where faculty education was needed: theory, design, facilitation, debriefing, interprofessional education, and evaluation. A free online simulation fundamentals course was effective in addressing the areas where education was required.

Interprofessional Simulation: From the Classroom to Clinical Practice

Interprofessional simulation (IPS), frequently referred to in the literature as simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (IPE), has been widely studied in nursing and medical education. For decades, the literature has suggested IPE as a valuable strategy for enhancing communication and collaboration among health professionals. Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is foundational to developing high-functioning healthcare teams and can lead to reduced medical errors and increased patient safety. This chapter addresses IPS from both the academic and practice perspectives. The foundations of IPE and IPCP are reviewed, as well as the standards of best practice in simulation. Planning, development, and implementation will be discussed, including benefits, barriers, and possible solutions. Recommendations from relevant research on debriefing and evaluation of IPS are also reviewed. Outcomes from the growing body of research on IPS will be presented and include perceptions of interprofessional practice, better understanding of professional roles and responsibilities, development of communication and teamwork skills, and shared problem-solving and decision-making. Future implications and recommendations are provided based on the state of the science on IPS. Optimum design, implementation, and evaluation of IPS, along with a thorough understanding of the benefits, barriers, and opportunities, can help faculty and clinical educators prepare a collaborative healthcare workforce and reduce medical errors to ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Formal Training Efforts to Develop Simulation Educators: An Integrative Review

STATEMENT

Formal training for educators who use simulation-based education (SBE) is required by standards of best practice, simulation guidelines, regulatory, and accrediting bodies. Training efforts to establish educator competency for SBE are being offered. However, a systematic review of this body of literature has yet to be conducted. The purpose of this integrative review was to appraise formal training efforts of educators who use SBE. The aims were to summarize the training topics, describe the structure of training programs, and explore evaluation methods of educators. The New World Kirkpatrick Model guided the review. A PRISMA search approach yielded 2007 citations of which 38 met inclusion criteria. Analysis supports a formalized training process that uses a combination of didactic material, time for repetitive practice, and ongoing feedback with longitudinal and scaffolded delivery approaches. An identified gap in the literature is threshold levels for determining competency of educators. Recommendations for planning simulation training programs are provided.