HONOLULU - The Tripler Emergency Department held a skills fair for emergency medicine staff on Nov. 5 and 12. Organized by ED staff Capt. Joseph Matthews and Sara Willis, the fair included a real-life trauma scenario to involve all aspects of high-risk situations and the importance of teamwork.
Participating staff in the skills fair included Tripler ED nurses, providers and medics, trauma residents, center for nursing science and clinical inquiry, department of hospital education and training and the director of academics, research, and training.
Maj. Anthony Sabatini, TAMC's ED nursing director said, "The fair provides a realistic training opportunity to ensure Tripler's patients receive the world-class care they deserve. The skills fair also boosts confidence within the staff, allowing them a chance to improve the skill set needed to treat any illness or injury to our Tripler o'hana."
The fair was reorganized to maximize time in the medical simulation activity. Prior to the fair, nurses completed self-paced online learning followed by validation of practical competencies allowing military ED nurses the availability to meet their specific requirements. The final stage was a mock trauma in Tripler's Medical Simulation Center encouraging teamwork, effective communication, improving patient outcomes and their own medical practice.
Matthews, a clinical nurse specialist, led the trauma simulation. "It provides an opportunity for the staff to apply their refreshed skills in a synthetic and stressful situation and then reflect on their individual and team performance," said Matthews.
The simulation feature was possible because of Tripler's Medical Simulation Center and its program administrator, Ruth Andrews, who has been with the center since it was established in 2008. The simulation center provides advanced equipment and the training environment for medical professionals within a well-designed multipurpose room of 5,450 square feet.
After each simulation, the team regrouped and discussed their performance and what could be improved. Restructuring the fair allows ED leadership to measure self-efficacy and Matthews foresees this training method to strengthen patient quality care and confidence to execute tasks efficiently for all TAMC nurses and ED teams.
Social Sharing