A Contemporary Method to Teach Collaboration to Students

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of an interprofessional educational intervention in which nursing and medical students were taught collaboration skills through low-fidelity simulation. The intervention included didactic content on the process of collaboration, followed by a simulation of the patient care rounding process. The TeamSTEPPS (R) Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) was administered as a pre- and posttest to seven students who participated in the simulation. Anecdotal and observational data were also collected. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in three of the five core areas of the T-TAQ: team structure, situation monitoring, and communication. Collaborative behaviors were demonstrated, and anecdotal comments reported by the students revealed an appreciation of the overall experience. These findings suggest that low-fidelity simulation is a valuable and cost-effective method to teach interprofessional educational skills, such as collaboration. These skills are essential to professional practice in the clinical setting.