Lincoln Memorial University – DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation (CIPES) provided TeamSTEPPS® Essentials training to OMS-II students along with students from other health professions programs at LMU and neighboring institutions in Tennessee, April 12-13.
TeamSTEPPS® is an evidence-based set of teamwork tools, aimed at optimizing patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health care professionals. The TeamSTEPPS® Essential Course was administered via Zoom to more than 700 students.
Dr. Sherry Jimenez, senior associate dean of IPE, Simulation, Accreditation and a TeamSTEPPS® Master Trainer, introduced students to the TeamSTEPPS® Essentials objectives, framework, and key principles. She was followed by an interprofessional team of certified Master Trainers from LMU-DCOM including Dr. Ian Rheault, assistant professor of Physical Therapy and IPE coordinator, who provided a case study, interactive breakout and debrief sessions. Other TeamSTEPPS® Master Trainers who presented on communications, situation monitoring, mutual support, teamwork and leadership included: Jason Austin, simulation manager and paramedic, Whitney Cantwell, nurse educator, Johnathan Greene, director, Life Support Skills Training, and Caitlin Hoskin, nurse educator.
Communication failure remains one of the leading causes of medical errors and providing interprofessional education (IPE) to large multi-disciplinary groups of students is an ongoing challenge in health professions education. TeamSTEPPS® is designed to help learners implement various communication methods in clinical settings, to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. To equip students with these tools prior to embarking on clinical rotations, osteopathic medical students attended one of two virtual two-hour sessions as part of their Foundations of Modern Healthcare III course in April. Students from Lipscomb University-Nashville, School of Pharmacy; LMU-DCOM School of Occupational Therapy, LMU College of Dental Medicine (LMU-CDM), and South College-Knoxville, School of Pharmacy also participated.
This is LMU-DCOM’s third year successfully administering this interprofessional training. The TeamSTEPPS® Teamwork Attitude Questionnaire (T-TAQ) was administered to students, pre and post training. In its first year, students agreed/strongly agreed 80.44% and 93.12% pre and post respectively, to the T-TAQ question: “I prefer to work with team members who ask questions about information I provide.” Students agreed/strongly agreed 86.64% and 95.16% to the T-TAQ question: “Even individuals, who are not part of the direct care team should be encouraged to scan for and report changes in patient status.”
The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, and at LMU-Knoxville in Knoxville, Tennessee. LMU-DCOM is an integral part of LMU’s values-based learning community and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of osteopathic physicians to provide health care in the often-underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU-DCOM, call 1.800.325.0900, ext. 7082, email dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit us online at http://med.LMUnet.edu.
