JACKSON, Tenn. — Feb. 19, 2019 — 51社区鈥檚 School of Nursing joined with Christian studies students for an inter-professional simulation Feb. 18 to demonstrate how the two disciplines might interact in a hospital setting.
鈥淭eaching our students how to interact, communicate and collaborate with other disciplines - in this event, Christian studies - will allow them to provide the best care possible for their patients,鈥� said Renee Anderson, director of simulation and inter-professional development at Union. 鈥淚t really was a great learning experience for the students as they learned the importance of meeting the spiritual needs of both the patient and their family.鈥�
The students played out a scenario in which a teenage girl in an automobile accident was going to have her arm removed. Her parents, played by senior nursing students, disagreed about the best course of action and the spiritual implications. A hospital chaplain, played by a student in a Christian ethics class, was called in to counsel the patient and her parents.
C. Ben Mitchell, Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy, teaches the Christian ethics class. He said the simulation allowed his students to grow in their appreciation for what nurses do and become more sensitive to how challenging it is to think on their feet in stressful situations.
鈥淓thics becomes less academic and more real-life,鈥� Mitchell said.
The simulations took place in Union鈥檚 nursing simulation rooms with nursing faculty members overseeing and instructing the students. While nursing students run simulations like this often, Anderson said the inter-professional simulation allowed them to see what it is like to have other people in the room dealing with more than the physical needs of the patient.
鈥淭his simulation gave them an opportunity to meet the needs of the patient in a holistic manner: physically, emotionally and spiritually,鈥� Anderson said.