For two weeks, third-year Nursing and Medical students worked together in simulation laboratories to improve their non-technical skills, such as teamwork, communication and leadership. The simulations make use of an algorithm that simulates an advanced life support scenario during cardiac arrest.
The simulations, which were conducted by groups of four or five Medical and Nursing students, included three stations at which clinical cases surrounding cardiac arrest were taking place. Teams had four hours to address the different issues at each station. Upon finishing, the teams moved on to a fourth station, where the simulation was being filmed. Afterwards, the recordings were viewed so that the students’ skills could be assessed.
The activity was well received by the students. “We always get positive feedback from the students, who keep asking for more activities like this one. Chances to get experience in a healthcare setting without patients are few and far between”, said Montserrat Virumbrales, who coordinates the simulations with Encarna Rodríguez and Jordi Castillo, and the help of lab technicians Vanesa Calvo and Vicente Barrioluengo. The UIC Barcelona is one of the few universities that hold simulations in which nursing and medical students work together.
