Pediatrics and Neonatal Nursing

A unique, progressive multidisciplinary simulation was developed for a pediatric end-of life experience. In order to prepare all participants, regardless of discipline, extensive pre-briefing and reflective debriefing was developed. The project included seven evolving pediatric simulations, each one with multiple disciplines participating, over a four-week period. Key components of the pre-briefing stages included learning about the topic of end-of-life, understanding the different inter-professional roles, teamwork, and feeling comfortable with the simulation environment. Reflective debriefing was carried out in small groups immediately after the simulation with objective feedback and affirmation of interdisciplinary teamwork, skills, and communication. A second culminating debriefing also occurred which offered the students the ability to pull their experiences together and reflect and compare their perceptions to those of an actual survivor of the same disease. This project revealed to faculty the importance of using multistaged pre-briefing and debriefing in a progressive multidisciplinary pediatric simulation.