Enacting simulation: A sociomaterial perspective on students' interprofessional collaboration.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Practice theory

Background:

• Full-scale simulation exercises are increasingly used in health professional training.
• Understanding interprofessional collaboration during simulations is crucial for effective learning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how interprofessional collaboration is enacted by medical and nursing students in simulated emergency scenarios.
• To apply practice theory to analyze student interactions with a manikin-based patient.

Main Methods:

• A field study was conducted in two naturalistic educational settings.
• Eighteen simulation sessions were observed and video-recorded.
• Data were analyzed using a stepwise constant comparative analysis for scientific rigor.

Main Results:

• Student teams engaged with the manikin as a technical, medical, and human entity.
• Interprofessional collaboration emerged through fluid shifts in synchronized and unsynchronized bodily positioning.
• Sociomaterial arrangements influenced the enactment of collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional knowings and enactments are dynamic and context-dependent.
• Findings offer insights into integrating body and mind in practice theory for simulation-based learning.
• Simulation exercises can be optimized to enhance student learning in interprofessional collaboration.