Colquitt Regional recently held its annual interprofessional development training exercise for participants in the hospital’s Nurse Residency Program and the Georgia South Family Medicine and Psychiatry Residency programs.
For the third consecutive year, those at the training participated in role-playing scenarios that covered communication styles, standardized medical reporting through SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendations), conflict resolution, and communicating effectively in emergencies.
This year’s event continued to focus on participants working through various mock scenarios. During this activity, medical students rotating at Colquitt Regional acted as patients and the nurse and medical residents progressed through different stations while actively treating the patient as if it were a live situation. The participants were also able to work with educational manikins to help make the environment as realistic as possible. For the first time, Georgia South Psychiatry Residency Program residents worked together during a simulation where a patient was dealing with psychosis.
This type of team-based training was introduced with the purpose of preparing all health professionals to work together to build a safer, higher-quality, patient-centered health care system.
“This exercise has become an integral part of our education and training,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “As healthcare is an ever-changing industry, it is imperative for our health system to stay up-to-date on the latest procedures and protocols. Patient safety is our number one priority, so we utilize these trainings as a way for our employees to continue to sharpen their skillset and increase their competencies and confidence at the bedside.”
Interprofessional collaboration has shown many positive effects in hospitals across the world, such as improved patient outcomes, reduced preventable errors, decreased healthcare costs, and improved relationships with other disciplines.
This year, the training involved a panel of hospital employees in different disciplines, including Colquitt Regional Hospitalist Dr. Sarah Nuzzo, Sterling Group Urogynecologist Dr. Cheau Williams, Fourth Floor Director Karen Hart, RN, and Colquitt Regional Emergency Department nurse Lauren Cox, RN. Participants had the opportunity during lunch for a question-and-answer time with the panelists.
“Having our medical students, residents, and nurses participate in this training allows them to gain real-life experience in a controlled, educational setting,” said Colquitt Regional Chief Academic Officer Dr. Woodwin Weeks. “Not only do the participants build camaraderie, but they are learning to communicate effectively and work together as a team to deliver the highest quality care to their patients.”
This exercise was conducted with the help of Weeks, Director of Educational Services Kayla Long, RN, Georgia South Family Medicine core faculty member Dr. Lisa Young, Georgia South Psychiatry Residency Program Director Dr. Lisa Rudolph-Watson, Nurse Residency Coordinator Danielle Richardson, RN, and Medical Education Administrator Jordan Key.
“We are a teaching hospital, so it is our mission to engage all medical learners who come through our doors and set them up for success,” said Hospital Authority Chairman Richard E. Turner, Jr. “I commend those who took the time to coordinate this successful event. Our organization is blessed to have so many leaders and physicians who are dedicated to passing on their expertise to the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
