Lightning Talk

Interprofessional Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support Certification: A Model for Impacting Teamwork Behaviors Through Emergency Cardiovascular Care Simulation Training and Education

Thursday, October 7, 2021, 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm CDT
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Lightning Talk Presentation
Sample video
Lightning Talk Live Discussion Recording
Accreditation Information
The recording of this session has been accredited for Interprofessional Continuing Education credit (IPCE) as enduring material. After watching this recording, you may claim IPCE credit by clicking this link. Interprofessional Continuing Education Credit is available to claim through December 31, 2021. Please see details below.

Interprofessional Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (iACLS), a simulation-based certification program for medical, nursing, and pharmacy students, is a component of the longitudinal interprofessional education (IPE) curricula at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing and University of the Sciences’ Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. ACLS is a team-based strategy to optimize survival in patients with life-threatening cardiac emergencies. Since resuscitation teams are by necessity interprofessional, emergency cardiovascular care is an ideal setting for IPE to develop practice-ready healthcare professionals. ACLS courses commonly include participants from various health professions, but iACLS is the first course to augment the traditional American Heart Association content with interprofessional activities (e.g., teamwork exercise, TeamSTEPPS overview, discussion of education/training and future roles for each profession, vignettes such as a distraught family member incorporated into megacode simulations to facilitate assessment and debriefing of interprofessional performance). Instructors complete a Performance Assessment of Communication and Teamwork (PACT) evaluation for each student’s megacode performance to rate team performance in the TeamSTEPPS skill domains using a scale from poor to excellent. After each megacode simulation, instructors lead a debrief emphasizing interprofessional performance including teamwork and communication issues with their team of students. Course participants complete the Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS), a validated twenty-item assessment focused on interprofessional behaviors. Our experience suggests that supplementing ACLS course content with interprofessional teamwork and communication training has a positive impact in developing effective interprofessional behaviors (communication, collaboration, roles and responsibilities, collaborative patient/family-centered approach, conflict management/resolution, and team functioning). As an innovation in interprofessional learning, iACLS may serve as a model for other institutions to impact teamwork behaviors through emergency cardiovascular care simulation training and education. Simulation-based programs with an interprofessional focus effectively prepare healthcare professional students to provide high-quality, collaborative care during medical emergencies.

Accreditation Details

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.

As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the OICPD is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The OICPD maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.

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.

Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.

IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change