Medical and Paramedical Students' Positive Experiences With Interprofessional Simulation: A Questionnaire Study

Introduction: Simulation is a common and beneficial learning method in healthcare education. Interprofessional simulation combines both interprofessional collaboration and simulation, and it has been found to improve teamwork, interprofessional collaboration, and patient safety. This study aimed to evaluate medical and paramedical students' attitudes toward interprofessional simulation and their competence to act in acute situations.

Methods: High-fidelity interprofessional acute simulations focused on internal medicine emergencies and both child and adult resuscitation are part of medical and paramedical curricula at Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences. A total of 120 final-year medical students and 34 third-year paramedical students participated in these simulations in spring 2021 and were asked to answer pre- and post-questionnaires. The response rates were 91% (n=140) for the pre-questionnaire and 86% (n=132) for the post-questionnaire. A mixed method was used for analysis.

Results: The students' attitudes toward interprofessional simulations were positive, and interprofessional simulation was considered an effective and safe learning method. Students experienced interprofessional simulations as an excellent learning method. Before the interprofessional simulations, 66% of the students rated their skills to act in acute situations as good or very good, and after the interprofessional simulations, 95% of the students rated their skills to act in acute situations as good or very good. Effective debriefing and positive feedback were considered important for learning. Interprofessional simulations promoted understanding of other professions and interprofessional communication. When the students self-evaluated their skills to act in acute situations, improvement was detected.

Conclusions: Medical and paramedical students appreciated interprofessional collaboration. The students considered interprofessional simulation as an effective learning method and promoting the understanding of other professions. Results confirm that interprofessional simulation is also a good way to teach non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork.