Evaluation of Nursing Students' Experiences in an Interprofessional Simulated Disaster Exercise

Background: Disaster simulation exercises provide a unique opportunity for nursing students to experience interprofessional collaboration. The limited study of interprofessional education using disaster simulation has focused on two to three health disciplines. In reality, teams comprise members from multiple disciplines in health care and emergency management. Method: A simulated disaster was held at a community college in Toronto, Canada. A total of 121 nursing students participated in the event, alongside students and providers from six health care and emergency management professions. A survey was used to evaluate nursing students' experiences. Results: Nursing students (n = 78) reported a high level of satisfaction, and 90% reported the simulation demonstrated the importance of interprofessional practice. Two themes arose from participants' comments: communicating with patients and collaborating with health care and emergency management providers. Conclusion: There is a need for follow-up to evaluate the impact of this event on nursing students' future practice.