3LLSun1 - Preparing Nursing and Language Students for Enhanced Communication with Minority Populations via an Interprofessional Simulation

Abstract :

Background: Safe patient care often depends on good communication. Approximately 30% of households in our region of Texas speak Spanish. Communication with minority populations can hinge on availability of interpreting services, bilingual health care workers or family members, and translation apps. We bring nursing and language students together for an interprofessional simulation that enhances each group's ability to provide better care for our Spanish speaking population.

Methods: Nursing and language faculty collaborated on adapting 2 previously established simulations with a focus on the childbearing family. Two language students participate along with 5 nursing students in each high fidelity scenario with a simulated laboring patient and a simulated newborn. One language student participates as a Spanish speaking family member of the patient and the second participates as a language interpreter. We instruct the nursing students to focus on safe, quality care. We instruct the language students to focus on the national standards of practice for medical interpreting to ensure clear and effective consecutive interpreting. The language students are trained in class to anticipate the interventions that nursing students should take in each simulation.

Results: The language student in the role of the Spanish speaking family member provides a realistic language barrier that nurses often encounter in the profession. The language student in the role of the interpreter helps the nursing students overcome that barrier.

Conclusion: The simulations provide an interprofessional education opportunity that broadens both nursing and language students' understanding of what it means to provide quality bilingual medical care.

Please include a short summary of your presentation that highlights why an attendee would want to participate in your session.: We can show you how to incorporate interdisciplinary education with an emphasis on quality communication and safe care into your previously established high fidelity simulations. Join us for a brief demonstration and how-to session!