High-Fidelity Simulation Meets Athletic Training Education: An Innovative Collaborative Teaching Project

Abstract

High-fidelity simulation is frequently used in nursing education to provide students with simulated experiences prior to and throughout clinical coursework that involves direct patient care. These high-tech exercises take advantage of the benefits of a standardized patient or mock patient encounter, while eliminating some of the drawbacks experienced when using healthy “live” mock patients. These same technologies have the potential to benefit athletic training students (ATSs). The purpose of our project was to expand a partnership of interdisciplinary education for ATSs and integrate simulated patient encounters for ATSs enrolled in a general medical conditions in athletic training class. The project is a collaborative teaching experience that combines an athletic training faculty member, a nursing faculty member, and a nursing simulation specialist for skill training and assessment of clinical integration proficiencies (CIPs). With the introduction of the updated (CIPs) in the Fifth Edition Athletic Training Competencies document, opportunities exist to utilize high-fidelity simulation for training and assessments that may not occur during a student's clinical experience. Our athletic training program utilized the nursing simulation laboratory equipped with a high-fidelity manikin to simulate a student-athlete who suffers an asthma attack. Athletic training students, under the supervision of their faculty member and a simulation specialist, engaged in hands-on simulations to demonstrate CIPs related to respiratory assessment and intervention. The opportunity to combine expertise in medical conditions with the availability of high-fidelity simulation manikins presents opportunities for ATSs to experience patient encounters with conditions not frequently presented or difficult to stage in real-time clinical training. In conclusion, our project showcases an interdisciplinary collaboration that provides ATSs with learning experiences using emerging technology. Athletic training students were satisfied with the opportunity to engage in simulated patient encounters in this medical conditions class.