On the stairs of Samford University’s College of Health Sciences, a voice called for help as a standardized patient collapsed into a friend’s arms during a simulated emergency. Within moments, an interprofessional team of students from the College of Health Sciences arrived, ready to assess the situation and rush the patient to the emergency room.
The Acute Care Simulation, hosted by Samford’s Experiential Learning and Simulation Center, challenged students from across the College of Health Sciences to apply their clinical knowledge and work together as part of an integrated health care team.
Held in March, the large-scale simulation used high-fidelity mannequins and standardized patients—actors trained to portray realistic medical scenarios.
“This simulation affords our students the opportunity to learn about other professions from those with whom they will collaborate when they enter practice,” said Jill Pence, executive director of the Experiential Learning and Simulation Center.
The Simulation Center, which spans 22,000 square feet within the College of Health Sciences’ facilities, was transformed into functioning hospital spaces for the event.
More than 100 students worked through 21 patient cases across four hospital units: emergency, two medical-surgical units and an intensive care unit. These scenarios were designed to reflect acute care's fast-paced, high-pressure nature, with select cases chosen for their educational value and opportunities for interprofessional collaboration.
Undergraduate nursing, along with graduate physician assistant studies, physical therapy and pharmacy students, participated in all three simulation rounds. The program also included student interpreters from Howard College of Arts and Sciences to assist with communication for a non-English-speaking patient.
Each interprofessional team managed evolving patient conditions, emphasizing clinical skills, communication, teamwork and decision-making under pressure.
“It provides students a controlled environment to put into practice what they have learned with feedback and guidance from faculty,” Pence said.
Historically, health care disciplines have been trained separately with limited opportunities to practice collaborative care.
This simulation addresses that gap by providing a safe, controlled environment where students can grow in their ability to work together. Bedside rounds and post-simulation debriefings focused on strategies to improve communication and teamwork, discuss roles and responsibilities and strengthen patient outcomes.
“It was a great day of simulation and learning for our students,” said Pence.
