Nursing Students Teaching Medical Students: An Interdisciplinary Teaching Experience

Abstract

For a number of years, Advanced Practice Nursing ( APN) students have taught interested 1st year medical students to perform intramuscular injections prior to their participation in community flu clinics. When several 4th year medical students needed documentation of competency in intravenous (IV) cannulation prior to participating in an elective rotation at another institution, the Director of Interdisciplinary Partnerships in the Graduate School of Nursing requested assistance from the medical school's Dean of Students. In fact, all medical students need IV therapy training prior to graduation, not just those who seek out elective rotations at other medical schools. Integration of IV therapy training into the Undergraduate Medical Education Surgery Clerkship curriculum supports the clinical objectives of the Surgery Clerkship along with the developing use of simulation within the medical school. This need led to the development of this interprofessional simulation education initiative. Presented at the AAMC (Association of American Colleges) Annual Meeting, RIME (Research in Medical Education) Program, November 2008.