Texas A&M Health’s Disaster Day is the nation’s largest student-led interprofessional emergency response simulation. Since 2008, the annual event has grown to 800 students in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, psychology, athletic training, veterinary medicine, and the Corp of Cadets. Traditionally conducted at a world-class training facility for emergency responders, interprofessional student teams work to rescue survivors, manage communications/logistics, solve public health cases using patient-level clues, and diagnose/treat standardized patients. The goal is to produce collaboration-ready graduates who are better prepared to respond to emergencies.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this live exercise was reimagined as role-play game-based learning. Partnering with Texas A&M University experts in game technology and education, Texas A&M Health worked to engineer the live event into an engaging and interactive virtual learning experience. The inaugural Virtual Disaster Day launched in March 2021. Student teams trained in four virtual game worlds: Disaster Site, Triage, Field Hospital, and Emergency Operations Center. Trained faculty from each discipline assessed team proficiency across nationally recognized Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies (IPEC, 2016). We compared student-level attainment of IPEC competencies and satisfaction between live and virtual platforms; and we evaluated the virtual platform for proof-of-concept. We also observed and retrospectively documented micro-level interprofessionality (D’Amour & Oandasan) as we engaged new collaborators - originally limited to health sciences disciplines, but ultimately branching out to health and non-health logisticians, veterinarians, athletic trainers, and game-based learning designers – thereby expanding our conceptual framework beyond interprofessional education to include intersectoral action.
The virtual platform demonstrated varying results as compared to the live platform for learning with, from, and about other professions. Overall satisfaction declined in moving from live to virtual platform; yet the proof-of-concept was judged by organizers and participants to be resoundingly successful.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
