Interprofessional collaboration among first responder students in a simulated disaster exercise.

Area of Science:

• Emergency medicine
• Disaster preparedness
• Interprofessional education

Background:

• Interprofessional disaster simulation exercises enhance first responder student learning in disaster response and recovery.
• Virtual formats, like table-top exercises, emerged as alternatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Existing simulations often focus on healthcare providers, necessitating inclusion of other first responders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a virtual table-top disaster simulation exercise for police and firefighter students.
• To assess the effectiveness of interprofessional collaboration training in a simulated disaster setting.

Main Methods:

• A virtual table-top disaster simulation was conducted using Zoom® with police (n=94) and firefighter (n=30) students.
• Faculty and community professionals participated alongside students.
• An evaluation survey with open- and closed-ended questions was administered post-exercise.

Main Results:

• 38% of students completed the survey; most found the exercise highly useful.
• The exercise highlighted the importance of interprofessional collaboration.
• Key themes from student feedback included understanding roles and performing under duress.

Conclusions:

• Virtual disaster simulation exercises are valuable for teaching first responder students.
• These exercises effectively demonstrate the importance of interprofessional collaboration in disaster response and recovery.