Developing a collaborative pan London faculty development framework
I was privileged to be asked to present the LSN’s previous work in developing a framework for faculty development at ASPiH in November. Although, slightly daunting to start, with quickly familiarising myself with previous work and making arrangements to meet the team who had done the development and produced the framework in its current form I was fortunate that members of the previous development team stepped forward to support me in delivering the workshop. This was aimed at interested parties who wished to find out about the progress to date in developing the framework and who were interested in incorporating ideas or principles into their practice. The workshop explored current challenges for faculty development and encouraged instinctive use and reaction to the framework and portfolio. Take aways were encouraging- nationally the experience is similar with the main challenges being universal and the guidance the framework offered to bring in giving structure to the process of tackling the challenges was well received. The most positive messages from the conference were of solidarity, an optimism and wish to change, challenge and develop and I came away with a renewed enthusiasm and commitment to go forth with process in my work streams around the portfolio ad collegial working, and aside from this it was a great opportunity for me to meet many of you and hear about all the good work going on.
Developing a collaborative pan London faculty development framework (presentation)
Multi-professional simulation scenario workshop
I approached ASPiH (Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare) with the sustainability focus squarely rooted in the context of supporting quality in multi-professional simulations. Thinking about the equity in access and how we plan multi-professional inclusion regarding the investment of our resources including staff, patients and colleagues, networking, and educational equipment.
The opportunity to attend a workshop by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) Team for writing an interprofessional simulation scenario was high on my agenda. The aim of the workshop was to introduce a template for standardised scenario writing. The workshop drew a diverse group of delegates, fostering a vibrant and creative atmosphere. Three groups generated varied scenarios and engaged in discussions that showcased the versatility and applicability of the tool across different simulation designs. All groups found they wrote a more inclusive scenario than would have happened without the template.
The need for learning from, with and about one another in interprofessional education is essential not only in constructive learning outcomes and the delivery of the education intervention, but in its design too. Understanding of the barriers and enablers for different professional groups is needed from the very start, to ensure that a simulation activity is accessible and meaningful to all professions in attendance. This is truly accomplished when the simulation’s accessibility is not focused on any profession but equally across all who attend.
Within the workshop there were different views on the design of scenarios, but none was counted as more valuable than the other. There was no perspective that was right or wrong, but a rich discussion of different professional perspectives enabled a greater understanding and appreciation of the learning needs of the groups present.
The workshop made me reflect on my contribution and typical experience of interprofessional scenario design:
- a multidisciplinary meeting to agree a scenario focus
- faculty leads independently formulating the learning objectives (in line with a specific curriculum or KPI and
- this is sent to one identified individual who is responsible in compiling the necessary contributions and upon completion of the sim scenario will disseminate it to the key stakeholders for review.
Having completed the workshop I wondered if this time would be so much more effective if completed the other way round. With the dissemination of a tool such as the HEIW Scenario Template, the learning objectives and reason for the simulation happening prior to a meeting- to allow the protected time for the interprofessional discussions to take purely for the design on the multi-professional simulation. For the nitty gritty deliberations of who will be in the room and how the debrief will be facilitated so all voices are heard. For the planning of study leave or time off the ward to be agreed and for the faculty of the course to be given enough time to learn from one another as well as about one another before the sim.
I would like to express my gratitude for the exceptional facilitation provided by HEIW team. Their emphasis on the need for the participation of relevant professional groups in scenario design stood out, and how this can be achieved using HEIW Scenario Template to provide the guidance in the scenario design, and therefore creating opportunity for attention to the nuance of interprofessional training.
Website: https://heiw.nhs.wales/education-and-training/simulation-based-education/resources/scenarios1/