Interprofessional
Collaboration
For the past two years, faculty
from the Penn School of Social
Policy and Practice, responsible for educating master’s and
doctoral-level social workers,
have participated in the event as
healthcare providers and victims.
This collaboration supports one
of the fundamental learning objectives of the simulation: to gain
valuable insight into the use of
effective and therapeutic communication during a crisis. Integration of social work faculty demonstrates a holistic approach to
meeting the healthcare needs of
the victims and greatly enriches
the debriefing. For example, social
workers are trained in managing
intense and painful emotions in
individual and group settings.
Faculty social workers facilitate a
conversation with nursing students and faculty on:
•
•
•
•
Managing their stress during
a crisis
Delivering bad news to patients in the midst of a fastpaced crisis scenario
Anticipating their emotions
upon completion of the simulation
Seeking help should they experience elevated distress
While these skills apply to this
scenario, they are also applicable
to any area of nursing where
providers facilitate difficult family
discussions about treatments, introduce end-of-life care, or respond
to concerned family members in
acute care or emergency settings.
Immediately following the simulation, an in-room debriefing with
Fall 2016 Pennsylvania Nurse 18
the st