Fostering Undergraduate Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy Students’ Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Using High Fidelity Simulation

Background Interprofessional education is directly linked to high-quality patient care, however, it remains unclear whether senior undergraduate medicine, nursing, and pharmacy students are ready for interprofessional education using high fidelity human patient simulators. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore student’s readiness for interprofessional learning and determine whether participation in high fidelity interprofessional education resulted in higher levels of readiness for interprofessional learning. Methods An interventional program starting with a pre-test before the program and a post-test after the program ends were designed with 24 students. The students were assigned to seven interprofessional teams. Each team participated in a high fidelity interprofessional education module designed to teach the clinical management of an adult patient experiencing acute anaphylaxis. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was used as the pre and post-test instrument. Results Prior to participation, students reported a high level of readiness for interprofessional learning, but that readiness significantly improved after participation, including more positive attitudes towards teamwork, enhanced communication skills, and improved respect and trust for team members. Conclusions The findings from this study show a higher level of readiness for high fidelity interprofessional learning using human patient simulators among senior undergraduate medicine, nursing, and pharmacy students. These findings support the integration of high fidelity interprofessional education into undergraduate medicine, nursing, and pharmacy undergraduate education programs.