The Collaborative Online International Simulation Exchange (COIL) project
Satu Hakala and Emily Marron, Kingston university
Anna-Kaisa Partanen and Tiina Varamäki, Metropolia University
The Collaborative Online International Simulation Exchange (COIL) project was created to give nursing students an opportunity to learn about acute care nursing studies from different cultures without having to go abroad. The project was initiated in March 2022, when two Finnish lecturers from Metropolia University, Anna-Kaisa Partanen and Tiina Varamäki, visited Kingston University. During their visit, we discussed the idea of sharing knowledge and experiences through online simulation. In June 2022, a planning meeting was held online, and the concept of sequential simulation was introduced. The project aimed to facilitate students in the management of medication errors and deteriorating patients, followed by a communication scenario focusing on the medication error and delivering bad news. The goal was to provide students with opportunities to compare the challenges of working with diverse patient scenarios in Finland and the UK and to broaden their perspectives by working in multicultural groups.
The simulation day was designed for final year BSc and MSc nursing students at both universities. The simulation took place in November 2022, with 35 students physically present at both universities. Two senior lecturers from Metropolia University named above and two from Kingston University Emily Marron and Satu Hakala facilitated the simulations and breakout rooms. Before the actual simulation day, Padlet was used for introductions and pre-learning. The medication error simulation was led by Metropolia University, followed by debriefing by all senior lecturers in the breakout rooms. Kingston University then led the next simulation, in which the family member was given the bad news of the medication error that had occurred in the first scenario which also included a debrief.
The simulation day was successful, student feedback was very positive from both universities. The simulation has since been delivered three times and has been fully transformed into an online sustainable simulation. The scenarios are recorded beforehand to minimise technical issues on the day, and it also enables students and facilitators to join the day from any location online. The simulation has become more multidisciplinary, with mental health and paediatric nursing students joining the course, enriching, and expanding the experience.