A key part of developing as a healthcare practitioner is the opportunity to partake in educational simulations. It has been a key aspect of my course here at Keele University and, I believe, it is a fundamental aspect of healthcare training. In addition to the paramedic lecturing team at Keele, we also have a dedicated team of clinicians from a variety of backgrounds that work as part of the Keele Simulation Team.
As my degree course has developed, the simulations we have taken part in have become more intense and more difficult. However, they have remained a safe space in which to make mistakes and a non-judgemental framework within which to learn. In recent months, the simulations have become more challenging with the addition of other students from other disciplines. This last week, the fourth-year paramedic students spent a day with radiology students engaging in simulations as diverse as critical care transfers and musculoskeletal X-ray referrals. The creation of a multidisciplinary simulation enables students from differing fields to learn from each other and develop an appreciation of the skills and abilities that other health professionals possess.
Almost two decades ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognised the importance of interprofessional education and its ability to help tackle issues in the global health workforce. In 2010, the WHO published the ‘Framework for action on interprofessional, education and collaborative practice’. Among its key messages were several references to the importance of developing interprofessional education. It argued that interprofessional education was imperative in the development of a workforce that was ready to work collaboratively in response to local health needs and that collaborative practice allows for a strengthening of health frameworks, ultimately leading to better health outcomes. Most notably, it stated that after 50 years of research and enquiry, the WHO and its partners found more than sufficient evidence to support the premise that interprofessional education was essential in the development of collaborative practice.
As paramedic students at Keele, we receive the opportunity to train alongside many differing professionals as part of various simulations focused on interprofessional education. In addition to our aforementioned time with radiology students, we have engaged in collaborative practice with students studying social work, as well as trainee police officers, as part of a simulation that focused on abuse and exploitation. We have had time with fire officers from across Staffordshire and have taken part in simulations with the faculty of law, in which we have experienced an HCPC tribunal as it played out – something which I hope not to be involved in when I am lucky enough to graduate and enter the world of work.
Interprofessional education is an important part of any health-related course. It is imperative for the future of the NHS, from understanding and combating the changing global health dynamics to providing the best patient care and outcomes. A nervous as I am when I am taking part in collaborative simulations, long may it continue!